Ravenfire Ashe: Second Year
by Fanfictions4everscar
Summary: My name is Ravenfire Ashe, and I am a second year at Hogwarts. Throughout my second year, I struggle with my loyalty as a piece of my prophecy is brought to light. Suddenly, I have to protect the mysterious book in order to help the Death Eaters…and the Dark Lord himself. But will I be able to when it endangers a new friend? (Rating will change to M later in the series)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! I'm so happy you decided to join Ravenfire for her second year at Hogwarts. This one is promised to have plenty of twists and turns as Raven struggles with her loyalty and friendships. I hope you enjoy and continue to stick aro** **und for more!**

 **Chapter One**

My eyes fluttered open to sunlight filtering through my window at Malfoy Manor. I held up my hands so that I could see the bruises on my wrists. My father had gotten drunk the night before and took his ever-present anger out on me. It wasn't unusual, especially since I'd be leaving for Hogwarts in a matter of weeks. These were his last chances to abuse me until I came home for the holidays.

Regardless, as soon as the beating had ended, I'd travelled by Floo Powder to the Malfoys and spent the night there. However, as I awoke, something felt new. Something always felt a little different after I had endured a beating, and the one last night was rather severe. But this sensation was completely new. I'd never experienced anything like it.

It was a new, strange feeling that was completely alien to me. It felt as though there were extensions on different parts of my body. As if there were…more of me. I thought perhaps my head was just swollen, but that wasn't right.

Cautiously, I lifted my fingers to the top of my head, one of the main points of the odd feeling. I gasped audibly when I felt a pair of fluffy, semi-pointed ears sprouting from my long, dirty blonde hair, which had begun growing in darker over the summer. My other hand shot behind my lower back where I could feel an extension of my spine. Surely enough, there was a big, bushy tail. Covering my mouth so as not to cry out in fear or shock, I ran over to the large mirror on the other side of the room.

The tail that stuck out of one leg of my shorts, as well as the additional ears, were bright scarlet. Seeing everything with my eyes instead of trusting my fingers made me let loose one long, bloodcurdling scream. I'd barely finished when Dobby appeared in my bedroom.

"Pardon me for intruding, Miss Ashe, but Dobby was worried when he…" the house elf trailed off as his eyes landed on the cause of the shriek, "Oh dear. Shall Dobby get Master Draco?"

"No!" I exclaimed, "I don't want him to see me like this. Narcissa, get Narcissa! She'll know what to do."

"Mistress Narcissa is out at the moment. Dobby will fetch Master Lucius instead."

"No, wait-!"

But Dobby had already disappeared.

A few moments later, I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

"Raven, what's going on?" Lucius asked lazily as he entered the room, but he froze as soon as he saw me, his eyes widening.

Mr. Malfoy was not an easy man to shock, but I had done it once again.

"I don't know, Daddy," I whimpered as tears welled in my eyes.

He approached me slowly, studying the ears and tail as if I were a specimen instead of his son's best friend.

"Fox fur," he stated, more to himself than to me.

Without warning, he reached up to trap one of my fluffy ears between his thumb and index finger. Automatically, my sensitive ear tried to twitch away, but it was captured nonetheless. He studied it intently for a few moments.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked nervously, jerking my head away from him. He let the ear slip away easily, "Am I stuck like this? Hogwarts starts soon, and I can't go to school looking like a fox."

"Follow me. I have a way to fix it. For now," Mr. Malfoy commented as he led me out of my room and down the hall towards his office.

I cautiously followed, praying not to run into Draco. The last thing I wanted was for Draco to see me like this. It was humiliating to be part animal. And the way Lucius was studying me – the way Draco would surely study me – was just as humiliating.

When we finally arrived at Mr. Malfoy's study, I sat down in one of the leather chairs next to the fireplace while he walked over to his bookshelf and searched for something.

"Have you ever heard of an animagus?" he asked, pulling a rather large book off the shelf and sitting opposite me.

"No."

"It's someone who can turn into an animal. Your mother is one."

"So, she turns into a fox too?"

"Not a fox. A rabbit. And it isn't random and uncontrolled like yours. She has complete power over when she turns into a rabbit, and it is never a partial transformation."

"So, I can turn into a full fox? Is that a good thing?"

"Well, it indicates a lot of power, and when you learn how to control this raw power, I believe you will be able to turn into a full fox whenever you'd like. A fox fits you rather nicely actually. Smart, cunning. But the ability itself was most likely passed down genetically, which is rare," he explained absently, flipping through the book in search of something, "It takes a lot of power to control it, but I doubt you'll have a problem with that. You'll just need to learn. I'm not an animagus, so I can't teach you, but your mother certainly can."

"How come I never knew that she could do that?"

"Because your mother is unregistered. All animagi need to be registered with the Ministry. If they do not, they are breaking the law. Someone will need to take you to the Ministry as soon as you've mastered transforming."

"But what do I do about it now?"

"When I was at Hogwarts, we learned a transfiguration spell, but I forgot it, not thinking I'd ever need it. Luckily, I have a book on animagus transformation. Ah, here it is."

As he stood up, he drew his wand and let it brush against my forehead.

" _Prorsus humana_ ," he muttered, making my ears and tail shrink back until they were nonexistent.

I shivered and cringed violently; the sensation was new and uncomfortable. But it passed quickly, and Lucius withdrew his wand.

"Thank you," I muttered, standing as he took the book back to the shelf.

"Just remember the spell if that ever happens at school. It is prudent that no one knows what you are becoming until I have a chance to take you to the Ministry."

"Yes, Daddy," I said, taking a few steps forward and absently running my fingers over the edge of his desk.

It was then that I noticed a box and a leather-bound book sitting on the otherwise clear surface.

"What's that?" I asked.

Lucius turned from the bookshelf to see what I was referring to.

"Oh that," he replied dryly, following my gaze, "That is a box of items I'm going to sell at Borgin and Burkes when we go to Diagon Alley today."

"What about the book? Are you going to sell that too?"

"No. It's just a book I happened to be reading earlier," he replied casually, moving to take a seat behind his desk. He grabbed the book and slipped it into one of his desk drawers, "I haven't put it away yet. Why don't you go get ready to go to Diagon Alley? We'll be leaving soon."

I regarded him suspiciously, but I didn't dare challenge him. There was something he was hiding, but unfortunately, Mr. Malfoy was very good at hiding things. Whatever he was lying about, I had no clue what it was. I could suspect him of nothing more than lying to me.

So, with a quiet "yes, Daddy," I turned and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

As soon as Draco, Lucius, and I arrived in Diagon Alley, we nearly made a beeline for a store in the neighboring Knockturn Alley: Borgin and Burkes – the dark, creepy shop that had always intrigued me and my friend even though we'd only been inside a few times.

"Touch nothing," Mr. Malfoy told us as we entered the store.

"I thought you were going to buy me a present?" mentioned Draco, who'd been looking at a single glass eye that was scanning the shop in a mason jar.

"I said I would buy you both broomsticks," Lucius drawled, making his way to the front counter.

"What's the good of that if we're not on the House team?" he asked, trailing after him, "Harry Potter got a Nimbus 2000 last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous…famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead…"

As Draco rambled on, I looked over at Mr. Malfoy, who rolled his eyes. We had stopped in an aisle a few paces from the front counter, and the expression on Lucius' face told me that we shared mutual thoughts.

Over the entire summer, Draco hadn't shut up about Harry. At first, he bragged to his parents that it was all thanks to me we won the House cup, but his stories quickly changed to all the achievements Potter and his friends had made throughout the year. And all the times that they should have gotten in trouble but nearly never did.

"You have told me this at least a dozen times already. And would I remind you that it is not…prudent to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear," Lucius interrupted.

I sighed and turned to a table of creepy but beautiful masks. I'd been trying not to think of it, but if Harry had never been born, or if he was killed, the Dark Lord would still be here, and my father might be less compelled to hurt me or my mother. I knew of my parents' loyalty to the Dark Lord as well as the Malfoys'. Narcissa wasn't a death eater, but her sister was.

I'd only heard stories about Bellatrix Lestrange. Because she was locked up in Azkaban, I had never had the pleasure of meeting her. To avoid the same fate, however, my parents and the Malfoys claimed to be under the Imperious Curse, but it was a lie. Draco didn't know about any of it, not yet anyway, but my mother found me trustworthy enough to explain it all at an early age.

"Mr. Malfoy," Borgin's greasy voice came out of nowhere as he stepped out from the back room and crept down the aisle towards us, "What a pleasure to see you again. Delighted…young Master Malfoy too. Charmed, and Miss Ashe…" he leered at me with a creepy, unsettling smile until Lucius stepped in between us to block me from view. Peeking out from behind Mr. Malfoy's cloak, I saw Borgin's eyes lift to Lucius'. He looked less than happy once I was shielded.

"How may I be of assistance?" he asked, recovering with an artificial smile, "I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced-."

"I'm not buying today, Borgin, but selling."

As the conversation continued, Draco grabbed the sleeve of my black sweater and pulled me over to what he was looking at.

"Check it out," he whispered, pointing through the glass as a gray, withered hand before addressing his father, "Can I have that?"

But Borgin's eyes were still trained on me, and he was rushing over to us in a second.

"Ah! The Hand of Glory," Borgin explained, standing behind me and resting his hands on my shoulders, "Insert a candle, and it gives light to only the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers!"

He turned to Mr. Malfoy.

"Your son has fine taste, sir."

I shifted uncomfortably, but as Borgin began rubbing circles into my back with his thumbs, I tensed up further. I shot a pleading look at Lucius, but he was too busy glaring with the shop-owner to notice.

"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," he snarled.

"No offense, sir, no offense meant…"

"Though if his grades don't pick up, that may indeed be all he is fit for," he continued, beginning to talk to Draco directly as Borgin continued massaging me, "Perhaps if you took after Raven, your grades would improve."

I might have blushed, or at least muttered a thank you, but I was concentrating too hard on not being sick as Borgin began stroking my hair. I attempted another look at Mr. Malfoy, which thankfully he noticed after having mentioned me.

Draco also must have seen the disgust on my face because he was mirroring it when I looked over at him.

"I'm in something of a hurry, Borgin," Lucius rescued, "I have important business elsewhere, so if you'd please stop molesting her…"

As soon as the slimy clerk's hands were off of me, I was able to breathe easier, although I shuddered violently. Still grimacing, Draco took me by the arm and pulled me into another aisle. We looked at other artifacts, but I was hardly paying attention. There was too much of an urgency to leave the store.

Luckily, I only had to wait a few more minutes before Lucius was ready to go.

"Good day to you, Mr. Borgin," Lucius was saying as he found Draco and I and swept us out the door. As soon as we were gone, and Borgin couldn't hear us, Mr. Malfoy shook his head, his lip curling in disgust.

"Don't let yourselves become _that_ ," he sneered, "He's an embarrassment to purebloods. Stay away from him if you can help it."

"He's a pureblood?" I asked in shock.

"Yes. Surprising, isn't it? I thought most purebloods held themselves to a higher standard. Regardless, I've seen even muggles and mudbloods more… _respectable_ than him. Even squibs..."

My jaw dropped. I'd never heard Lucius talk about anyone so unfavorably. Comparing a pureblood – no matter who they were – to a mudblood, muggle, or god forbid, a squib was not anything I'd ever think he would say. He was very proud of purebloods, as was my family, but Borgin must have been particularly unsavory for him to speak about him in such a way.

"Well," Lucius added after seeing my expression, "Let's not forget that the Weasleys are purebloods as well."

"Yes, but they're blood traitors, and you said that's just as bad – if not worse," I explained.

"I'm surprised that you're trying to defend a man that just had his grimy hands all over you," Lucius shot back.

"I'm not. I'm just-."

"Anyways," Mr. Malfoy interrupted, "Shall we get your books first?"

"I want to get our brooms first," Draco insisted.

"I thought you didn't find them useful if you didn't make the team?"

"Umm…" I interrupted, "I'm not sure that my father-."

"I've already spoken to your father, and he said I was permitted to buy your broomstick without you being punished. I am aware of what happened last year," Mr. Malfoy assured.

"Wait, what happened last year?" asked Draco.

It had been Draco's idea to buy me an owl for my birthday. He hadn't known that I had been beaten for it when I returned home that evening. I couldn't bring myself to tell him either. He was already angry that my father abused me, but if he knew that it was his actions that had inspired a beating, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Nothing," I muttered, and before he could say more, Lucius turned to him.

"I will buy your brooms after your other school supplies have been taken care of. Now, I need to run into Gringotts…alone. Go together to get your books from Flourish and Blotts, and wait there for me. I shan't be long."

I nodded, but Draco was already rolling his eyes and dragging me towards the book store by my wrist. As we entered, he led me up to the loft so we could avoid the large crowd that was gathered below.

"What's going on down there?" I asked, leaning over the railing.

"What does it matter?" growled Draco, already flipping through the bookshelves to find our required materials.

"I think that's Gilderoy Lockhart down there."

Scowling, Draco moved to lean over the railing with me. I glanced at him.

Over the summer, Draco hadn't matured much physically, but he was no longer the small boy he was a year ago. He had acquired a somewhat commanding air about him, not unlike his father. In fact, I could almost see the man Draco would become in the future as he stood looking over the throng. One hand rested on the banister, very close to mine, while the other resided on his hip, pushing his black cape back majestically.

Suddenly, a commotion on the ground floor got my attention.

Amongst the middle-aged women, the Weasleys and the Grangers stood with Harry. They'd gotten Lockhart's attention, and he'd pulled Harry to stand with him. Lockhart was famous for the adventures he'd written about and published in his books, and a large part of the witch population was in love with him. Even I'd heard of him, but I found him arrogant and intolerable, as did Draco. I only really knew about Lockhart because my mother owned every single one of his books.

A few years prior, she'd brought me to one of his book signings. She had stared at him with eyes so large and mystified that I'd be surprised if she'd heard a work he'd said. But I had, and I was not impressed. Everything he said seemed to be self-promoting in a very obnoxious way. He acted as though he was on a different plane than the rest of us commoners.

I couldn't stand him then, and I couldn't stand him now.

"Nice, big smile, Harry," Lockhart bellowed, "Together, you and I are worth the front page."

"Ridiculous," Draco hissed, fingers wrapping around my elbow before he yanked me towards the shelves.

The only one not by Lockhart was _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two_. Both having extensive libraries – and mothers – Draco and I were confident we owned the other books already.

By the time we'd found the book of spells, the trio and their families were already preparing to leave. They were headed towards the exit as we descended the stairs. Predictably, Draco rushed to block the door.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" he sneered. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed his jealousy, "Famous Harry Potter can't even go to a book shop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone. He didn't want all that," the younger Weasley girl defended.

She was pretty but dirty, as were the other Weasleys and Harry. Though she glared at Draco, it was clear he found her ridiculous just by the ash that covered her face.

"Look, Potter," he laughed, "You've got yourself a girlfriend."

"Could say the same to you, Malfoy," Weasley jumped in, nodding at me. Draco's cheek turned pink, and the grin slid away as Weasley continued, "Bet you're just surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley. I suppose your family will go hungry for a month to pay for all those," Draco snapped in return before Ron advanced on him.

Out of reflex, I stepped in front of Draco – either to protect him or to protect the others – but Harry and Hermione were already holding Ron back.

"You need to control yourself, Weasley," I told him, ignoring the own pressure at my back as Draco tried to get closer to him.

"Ron!" a voice called. I looked over Harry's shoulder to see Mr. Weasley pushing through the crowd, "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

His eyes landed on me, and he smiled. I was surprised when the grin seemed genuine.

"Ravenfire Ashe, is it? I've heard a bit about you. You helped these three protect the Sorcerer's Stone last year. That was very brave. I'm-."

"Well, well, well…Arthur Weasley," someone said as a hand fell onto my shoulder.

It was unlike the bony, greasy hand of Borgin. It was strong, gentle, and protective.

"Lucius," Mr. Weasley growled, smile fading into a sneer.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime for it," Lucius commented sociably with underlying dislike as his hand left my shoulder to grab the Weasley girl's second-hand book, "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizards if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Mr. Weasley replied, his smile no longer genuine but still present.

"Clearly…the company you keep, Weasley," he muttered, glancing at Hermione's uncomfortable parents, dressed in their obviously-muggle clothing, "and I thought your family could sink no lower."

Suddenly, Draco and I jumped back as Mr. Weasley launched himself at Lucius, slamming him into a bookshelf.

I let out a cold, incredulous laugh. I wouldn't have put something like that past Ron, but I would assume his father had more maturity and self-control. However, I only thought about it for a second before my eyes were drawn to Lucius.

In all the confusion, I might have been the only one who noticed. Quickly and stealthily, he slipped the small book that had been on his desk earlier into the Weasley girl's book that he was still holding.

"Get him, Dad!" Fred and George called out in unison, but the bookshop assistant was already breaking them apart. When both men regained their composure, Lucius threw the books into Ginny's cauldron.

"Here, girl. Take your book," he said angrily, "It's the best your father can give you."

Then, he gestured to Draco, who pulled me out of the shop. Once on the street, I could tell that Draco was fuming, but Lucius seemed almost satisfied, as if the entire thing was part of the plan to get the mysterious book into Ginny's possession.

I didn't doubt it.

I knew he was up to something, but I still had no idea what.

As Draco slowly calmed down, we continued our shopping, stopping to get new uniforms since we'd outgrown the ones from the year before. After that, we convinced Mr. Malfoy to get us ice cream before heading to Quality Quidditch Supplies to get our broomsticks.

I stopped in front of the display window while I licked my hot chocolate and marshmallow flavored ice cream. There were several other kids who'd stopped to look at the new Nimbus 2001. Before I'd even finished my ice cream, Draco pulled me into the store. He went immediately to the new model with a sleek, black handle and a black whiskery end that faded into green at the very tip.

When I saw it, my mouth fell agape. It was the most beautiful broomstick I'd ever seen.

"What if we don't make it on the team?" Draco turned and asked his father, who sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"How would you like me to fix that problem?" Lucius asked, but it was clear that he wasn't expecting Draco to be able to give him an answer. It wasn't as if he could guarantee us a spot on the team, right?

But leave it to Draco to think of something.

"Well…if you offered to buy the entire team new broomsticks, they'd let us on the team for sure because if they didn't, they'd have to play on those old, beat-up ones."

I shot a look of disbelief at Draco, but Lucius simply rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he sighed as if he was agreeing to no more than playing a game of Wizard's Chess, "Is this model what you're deciding on?"

Draco nodded, but I was not happy with this.

We were both good enough to make the team without much competition. We didn't have to bribe. We'd played several smaller games over the summer between the two of us.

But then I remembered a big obstacle that even Lucius hadn't remembered.

The Slytherin team didn't allow girls to play.

If I wanted to make it, bribing was truly the only way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

When we returned to Malfoy Manor, Fatigo was waiting for me on the window seat in my room. Clutched in his claws was a letter. It wasn't even in an envelope, and when I took it from him, I saw why.

The words were barely legible, as if the writer had a shaky hand, and the ink was smeared and runny…as though the writer's tears had fallen onto the parchment.

It was from my mother.

The letter explained – very formally – that Father wasn't in a good mood. He had gotten angry about something, and he had already begun taking it out on Mother. To keep me safe, she had written a quick letter telling me to stay at Malfoy Manor for another evening.

I could only hope for her safety, but I thanked her silently for keeping me safe.

That night, Draco and I had stayed up late, talking and joking whilst stuffing our faces with chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. When he decided he wanted to go to sleep, I began heading to my own room. I loved having a room that was all mine at Malfoy Manor. It made me feel as though it were my real home.

But instead of going inside and sleeping, I bypassed it and kept walking down the hall. I past a few doors before stopping in front of one in particular. There was no sound coming from inside, but there was a flickering light seeping into the hall through the space under the door.

I knocked softly.

There was a sigh, and then, "Come in, Raven."

Opening the door barely more than a crack, I slipped inside and regarded Mr. Malfoy curiously. Instead of sitting at his desk, like I assumed he would be, he sat in one of his chairs in front of the fire. He held a glass with about an inch of honey-colored liquid and stared into the flames.

"How'd you know it was me?" I asked, shutting the door behind me and moving towards the light of the fire, out of the darkness.

"Draco doesn't knock, and Narcissa never comes to my office," he drawled, not taking his eyes away from the fireplace, "Now, what is it you need? Is the tail back?"

"What was that book?" I blurted, ignoring his question.

He hardly blinked.

"What book?" he replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"The one I saw this morning…the one you gave to Ginny Weasley."

Suddenly, his eyes snapped to me, the blazing fire reflected inside of them. He leaned forward and pointed a stern finger at me.

"Don't tell anyone about that. It's none of your business."

"But I saw you give it to her, which makes it my business," I heard myself say.

It sounded almost like a threat.

"You wouldn't understand, little girl," Lucius growled dangerously, "If you tell anybody about it, I won't be very forgiving."

That definitely sounded like a threat.

I stared back at him, surprised to find myself trembling. My curiosity had gotten me in trouble numerous times before, but now I needed to let this go. I didn't want the man whom I'd trusted the most to be angry with me.

I didn't want Daddy to be mad.

Besides, there was plenty of time to discover what the book was on my own. I didn't need to talk about it with him anymore. I didn't need to tell anyone else. I just had to go to Hogwarts and find it, which would be easy. I'd just need to take it from Ginny.

I lowered my eyes and looked at my feet.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I won't tell anyone," I whimpered before turning to leave.

"Raven," he sighed, leaning back in his chair, now sounding more exasperated than threatening. With my hand already resting on the doorknob, I looked over my shoulder at him, "Come here."

Still shaking, I stepped back into the light and sat on the leather seat across the rug from him. I twisted my fingers together so he wouldn't see them shaking. Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut?

"I don't mean to frighten you," Lucius told me, "but it's very important that my secrets remain mine. What happened today…that book…it has to do with the Dark Lord. They're trying to bring him back. The Death Eaters have gone through many attempts, many plans. So far, none of them have succeeded, but the day will come when they will. He'll return once again. But I can tell you no more."

"But…I want to know. What are the Death Eaters doing with the book? What makes the book so special?"

"Raven, I don't even know that. There will be a time when you'll be more informed than anyone, but as far as anyone knows, you're completely in the dark. Understood?"

"What do you mean?"

"Raven," Lucius warned, "No more questions. Not for now."

"Yes, Daddy," I whispered, glancing down at my feet again, even though I was even more confused than I had been when I came into his office.

Suddenly, Mr. Malfoy chuckled.

I glared at him, "What?"

"Your ears are back."

I threw my hands up to cover them, but he reached over to push my hands away.

"Don't. They're...cute," he said, the word sounding foreign on his tongue.

I blushed furiously.

"Try to get rid of them on your own this time," Lucius continued, taking another sip of his drink, "but leave them for tonight."

He reached over and touched one of them. Immediately, the ear twitched away and Lucius shot me a look.

"Relax," he said, "I just want to feel them."

With much concentration, I managed to relax my ears enough so that they stayed put as Mr. Malfoy touched them. Even though he was being gentle, my ears were extremely sensitive. It was hard to keep them from twitching away again.

"They're so soft."

Thanking him felt like the right thing to do, but I wasn't sure why. At the last moment, I stopped myself. The ears were out of place. They didn't belong on my head. Thanking Lucius for the compliment made it seem as if I was accepting the ears as a part of me. As though I were welcoming them, and I certainly was not.

Instead, I stood up.

"If there's nothing else, I think I'm going to bed, Daddy," I informed.

Lucius' gaze hovered over me for a moment, as though he were going to argue. But he would have no reason to keep me there.

So he nodded instead.

"Very well. Have a good evening, Raven."

I managed a weak smile before turning and leaving the room.

When I opened the door and turned to go back to my room, I crashed right into Dobby, who jumped away with a startled yelp.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes. Dobby is alright," he replied shakily.

"What were you doing?"

"I w-was on my way to…umm…the stairs. I was going to the kitchen. To fetch Mistress Narcissa more wine."

I shrugged, feeling bad for the elf. He needn't be afraid of me. I knew that the Malfoys treated him terribly, but I had never threatened or harmed him at all. I frowned as he trembled before me, as if he were worried that I were going to attack him because I'd run into him.

"Well, I'd hurry then," I told him awkwardly, unsure of what else to say to him.

He nodded gratefully and scurried down the corridor, towards the stairs.

* * *

"Mr. Malfoy told me about the other morning," Mother said, "about your ears and tail."

She sat on the sofa in the drawing room with a book on animagi open on her lap, her sky blue dress and light, blonde hair contrasting sharply with her purple eye and the matching bruises on her cheek, neck, and wrists. The juxtaposition was almost satirical.

Mother looked too gentle for such brutality.

"The ears came back again last night," I informed, opting not to acknowledge the evidence of Father's abuse.

"Did Mr. Malfoy get rid of them, or did you?"

"I did. This morning."

"You aren't allowed to use magic outside of school."

"I didn't," I explained, "I didn't use the spell Lucius used. He only showed it to me; he never taught me. I just relaxed enough to let the ears melt back into my head."

I let my eyes shift from Mother to the white ceiling above where I lay, sprawled out on the purple and cadet blue rug. My black, flowing skirts had bunched up around my thighs, but what did I care? No one was here except Mother. Had my father been there, he would have scolded me for not maintaining a more lady-like position.

But he was meeting with a group of Death Eaters, leaving Mother and I alone and safe.

"I told your father about it, but don't worry. He thinks it will be a useful skill. He'd never admit this, but I think he's proud that his twelve-year-old daughter is powerful enough to be an animagus."

He wasn't proud. I knew that much.

"Mr. Malfoy said you have to register me."

"He's just saying that because he works at the Ministry. I'm not even registered."

"Yes, I know," I said, sitting up and looking at her, "You could go to Azkaban for that. Lucius said."

"Stop calling him that," Mother scolded, "You are to refer to him respectfully."

"Don't change the subject. You're breaking the law."

"No one will find out," she commented carelessly, making a show of examining her nails.

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Are you threatening me?" she asked, her eyes snapping back to me and her mouth hanging agape.

"Of course not, Mother! I'm just saying that it's not worth the risk."

"This isn't about me, Raven," she snapped before becoming overcome with gentleness. She smiled down at me and leaned over to brush a few stray hairs away from my face. After being with my father for so long, Mother had mastered the art of hiding your anger behind a smile, "It's about you. I'm going to teach you how to control your fox. The animal inside of you is powerful. Before you can master the transformation, you need to accept the fox. You must embrace it. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths."

Cautiously, I laid back down on the ground and did as she said. The peace I felt was almost immediate as I told myself to accept the fox. I hadn't wanted to admit that the animal was a part of me because I was scared of it. The fox seemed like a power I wasn't worthy of beholding. I thought my denial would prevent the responsibility and would come along with it.

But there was no escape.

It _was_ a part of me.

"Now," Mother continued, "focus on the extra energy coursing through you. Feel it. Absorb it. Embrace the fox within yourself. Don't deny it. Relax. Now, connect with it. You are the fox. Become aware of it. Good. Good!"

When Mother fell silent, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do next. I opened my mouth to ask her, but instead of words, all that came out was a whiny bark.

My eyes flew open.

I was much smaller than I normally was. The world seemed so much bigger, and it seemed like I was definitely taking up less space on the carpet. I sat up on the rug and looked myself over. I was covered in scarlet fur, and my body had completely been rearranged into that of a fox.

Standing up on all fours, I looked into my Mother's beaming face.

"You've done it! Good girl! I hadn't expected you to be able to on your first try. But you did! Honey, I am so proud of you."

Her, I believed.

* * *

"You can transform into a fox?" Draco asked excitedly.

We sat on the Hogwarts Express with Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle, happy to finally be returning to start another adventure-filled year. I had missed Hogwarts deeply, and I couldn't wait to be home once again.

"Who told you that?" I asked harshly.

"Father did."

"Of course," I sighed with an eye roll. I had hoped to keep it a secret from Draco, but I hadn't shared that desire with Lucius. Of course he'd brag about it to Narcissa and Draco, "Mother taught me how. But you can't tell anyone else because I'm not registered yet."

"I know that. Father told me. But do you know how rare that it? I haven't heard of any animaguses as young as you."

" _Animagi,_ " I corrected, "and I know it's rare, but I'm serious, Draco. Mother and I could both be sent to Azkaban if you don't keep your mouth shut about it. Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle…you had better keep quiet too."

They all nodded, but none of them were even paying attention.

Pansy was reading some trashy, paperback novel that they sold at every bookstore I'd ever been inside. There was an entire section of them. All were beaten up and very cheap, and all had similar pictures on the front. Decorating the cover was a picture of a man with a button-down shirt, except all the buttons were open and his rippling abs were exposed and gleaming. In the background, there was a woman leaning up against a rock in a very revealing red dress.

Crabbe and Goyle, on the other hand, were sorting through the candy that the trolley witch had sold them a few minutes before. The food was more interesting to them than I could ever be. This neither surprised nor bothered me.

"It's just so cool!" Draco exclaimed for the fifth time.

Trying to hide my frustration, I stood up and moved towards the door.

"I'll be back," I informed, "I need to walk around."

"Wait," Draco said, sitting up and reaching for me, as if to keep me in the compartment, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

Now, Pansy was looking up from her novel, her cheeks tinted pink from the story.

"You didn't," I told him, mustering my most gentle voice, "I just need to stretch my legs. I'm not mad at you."

And I wasn't mad. I just needed to get away from this conversation for a while. There were so many things that I hadn't wanted to happen that had. Draco knowing that I could turn into a fox was one of them.

He thought it was awesome now, but when he saw it in action, it would become much less "cool" and much more humiliating. Would he finger my ears like his father did?

Probably.

So I slipped out of the compartment, shutting the door softly and giving Draco one last reassuring smile before walking down the aisle. I had made it past about three compartments before Hermione rounded the corner and charged straight up to me.

She looked almost the same as she had the previous year, but her frizzy hair looked slightly softer and a lot tamer. And her eyes were wild.

"Raven!" she said, out of breath, "I can't find Harry or Ron anywhere!"

"What do you mean? I'm sure they're here somewhere. You probably just haven't found them yet."

"I've looked everywhere!"

"Hermione, where else would they be?"

"I don't know!" she cried, dangerously close to hyperventilation.

"Alright, calm down," I comforted, wrapping an arm around her, "I'm sure they're f-."

"Hey!" another Gryffindor called, pointing out the window, "It's the Weasleys' flying car."

Hermione and I shared one wide-eyed look before separating and racing over to the window. We were soon joined by Draco, who'd heard the shouting. He stood on the other side of me, pressed up against the window and glaring up at the car.

"Look at that," he scoffed, "Potter thinks he's too good to ride the train like the rest of us."

"I-I'm sure there's a good explanation," someone muttered in denial, but it was clear a lot of people were struggling to disagree with Draco.

No one ever rode in a car to Hogwarts. Everyone took the train. Doing anything else certainly did seem to indicate that they thought they were above the rest of the students. Even I couldn't come up with an alternate explanation, even though I knew there had to be.

Harry didn't think he was better than anyone else, I was sure of that.

"No matter," Draco continued, "There are consequences for actions such as these. I bet Potter and Weasley will be expelled. Then we'll see how inflated their egos are."

"That's funny coming from you, Malfoy," Hermione shot at him from over my shoulder.

"Oh, isn't it? Maybe you'd like to look at your own ego, Granger. For some reason, you seem to think you belong here, but you don't. You don't deserve to be at Hogwarts. You should have stayed with you muggle family."

Hermione didn't respond, and though she tried to glare back, I saw the hurt in her eyes.

"Hey," I told her, pulling her gently away from Draco and the window, "They're going to be fine, and I'm sure they have their reasons. I don't think they'll get expelled. Everything will be fine. Just try to relax until we get to Hogwarts."

She stared back at me for a few seconds, struggling to do as I said, but then she noticeably became less tense with a sigh.

"You're right. There's nothing I can do about it now. Thank you, Raven."

I tried to smile, but I was worried that it looked like a wince. Regardless, she turned away from me and headed back to her own compartment. When she was gone, I whirled on Draco.

"You shouldn't have said that," I told him, uncaring of who was watching us. There were still many students still in the aisle, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike.

"It's true!"

"You don't have to be so cruel," I retorted, but it was devoid of anger. There was only weary disappointment, but Draco was still just as embarrassed.

He put a rough hand on my arm and dragged me back to our compartment.

Everyone around us remained silent, watching between us and the blue car rising back up into the clouds.

When he pushed me into our compartment, he glared at me.

"Why would you do that in front of them? They were Gryffindors. I don't need them to see me being scolded like a child by my best friend."

"Then don't be so mean to her."

"Why? You're not friends with her, are you?"

"Of course not," I lied, "But it's not fair to use blood status against anyone, let alone Granger. She could beat you in a duel, and you know it."

"She could not!"

"You just don't want to admit that she's just as powerful as you without blood purity."

Draco paused. Instead of arguing further, he huffed in irritation and sat back down, looking out the window. I sat next to him and nudged him with my elbow.

"What?" he snapped.

"Nothing."

I nudged him again.

"Cut it out."

"Cut what out?"

Another nudge.

"Raven, stop it."

"Draco, stop what?"

Nudge.

Draco turned to look at me. At first, his face was a picture of annoyance. But then he melted into laughter and nudged me back.

I smiled.

It didn't matter how mad we were at each other. We could always make each other laugh.

We would always still be best friends.


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy October! I hope you're all having a great start to the pumpkin spice and Halloween season!**

 **Chapter Four**

The welcoming feast was as enjoyable as it was the previous year, but this time I got to watch the Sorting Ceremony instead of participating in it. There was something so fun about seeing who would be part of our family this year. Every first year – no matter what House they were sorted into – I watched, wondering what our relationship would be like at the end of the year. Who would be my friend? Who would be my enemy? Who would envy me? Who would I envy?

"Willow Cavanaugh," Professor McGonagall called out.

Cautiously, a girl with long, black hair and big, beautiful, brown eyes approached the sorting hat. As she sat down on the stool, I noticed her hands trembling slightly. The old, raggedy hat was placed on her head, and she looked up at it anxiously, waiting for her House to be announced.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Whatever she'd been expecting, it wasn't this.

A look of confusion crossed her face before she stood and moved to our table. She sat at the very end, where there was no one sitting. She didn't talk to anyone, nor did they talk to her. Her hands were still shaking, but she clasped them together so that no one noticed, even though I already had.

I was about to move to the end of the table to invite her to sit with me and my friends, but just as I moved my legs to the other side of the bench, the doors to the Great Hall burst open. Snape strode in and stormed up to Dumbledore. As the entire hall fell deathly silent, I made eye contact with Hermione from across the room. This had to be about Harry and Weasley. There had to be news about them and the flying car.

Nearly everyone had seen the car as it flew over the Hogwarts Express, and those who hadn't certainly had heard about it by this point. In fact, there was even another rumor going around that the car had crashed right into the Whomping Willow.

I knew Hermione was nervous even before looking into her bugged-out, anxious eyes. She was sitting with Ginny – who'd been predictably sorted into Gryffindor – and her other friends. All of them waited to find out what was going on with the other two, whom still had yet to show their faces.

Hermione forced her eyes away from mine as we turned to watch Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore walking out of the Great Hall. The students were so silent that the teachers' footsteps echoed throughout the room. As soon as the doors had shut behind them, the students erupted into chatter.

"I bet they're in big trouble," Draco commented, "I bet they're getting expelled."

I wasn't sure I wanted to accept that.

It was true that I hated Weasley, but after all that happened before the summer, I didn't want to lose Harry. Through fighting the Dark Lord together, I felt that Harry and I had made a connection.

We were friends. And I had missed him.

Draco was probably right, but this was the first time I hoped they would give Harry special treatment.

"I heard that some muggles saw the flying car too," Pansy added, fluttering her eyes at Draco, "I doubt we'll ever have to see them again after they created such a liability."

Her short, black bob bounced as she turned her head to see all three professors returning again. All had an air of disappointment about them, but Snape looked downright disgusted and incredulous. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"They're not expelled," I informed, "Look at Snape."

"So?" Draco said, "What about him? That doesn't m-."

"Malfoy!" Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, interrupted, coming to stand behind us. He put one hand on either of our shoulders, "I'll see you and Ashe at the try-outs this year, right? I got an owl from your father about the broomsticks. What positions are you two after?"

"Seeker," Draco replied without missing a beat before turning to me in puzzlement, "What position _are_ you after, Raven?"

"Beater," I answered confidently. Though I hadn't talked about it much with Draco, I'd given the position a lot of thought.

"What?" Flint scoffed, looking at me in disbelief, "Beaters need to be strong and balanced. I only know of one witch ever who's been a beater, and she's on a professional team. The Hollyhead Harpies."

"Well, I can see you have your doubts," I sneered facetiously, "I understand. Give up the brooms and don't let me on your team then."

The condescending look on Flint's face was suddenly replaced by a more ferocious one. He removed the hand from Draco's shoulder so that he could lean over me. The hand on my shoulder remained but tightened threateningly. His face got dangerously close to mine as he bared his teeth at me.

"These brooms better be worth it, little girl. And if you lose the Quidditch cup for us, I won't be very happy," he growled.

As he straightened, he shoved me away from him. My body bumped into Crabbe, who was sitting on the other side of me. Then Flint headed back to his own seat.

"Are you joking?" Draco hissed once he was gone, " _Beater?_ "

"I know it's not as glorious as Seeker, but it's one of the toughest positions."

"Exactly."

"You don't think I'm tough, Draco?"

"I do, but you're only twelve. The people in those positions are the older kids…or at least guys."

My eyebrows shot up.

"Excuse me?"

Draco paled, suddenly understand the implications of his own words, "No, no. I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then how exactly did you mean it?" I demanded.

"I just meant…" but he trailed off, unable to answer me.

"You only want to be Seeker because that's what Harry is," I argued.

"That's not true!"

"Listen, Draco," I sighed, "Can you maybe just believe in me? Nothing you say can change my mind."

He stared at me for a few moments before sighing.

"I _do_ believe in you. I just don't want you to get hurt."

* * *

That night, I stayed up late next to the fireplace in the common room.

I was desperately flipping through my transfiguration textbook, hoping that we would be learning what I needed. But it seemed that we wouldn't be learning about animagi at all that year. With a huff, I shut the book and stood up to go back to my dorm room.

I had almost reached the stairs when I noticed someone else who hadn't gone to bed yet.

At first, I was surprised and uncomfortable. I hadn't been talking to myself or anything, but it was still unsettling to know that, when I'd thought I'd been alone, someone else had been in the room with me the entire time. How did I not notice her?

She sat in the corner, around the side of the large fireplace where I wouldn't have been able to see her from where I sat on the sofa, but I still should have sensed her presence. I should have heard her as she moved her pencil across the sketchbook she held in her lap.

My black, silk pajama bottoms swished as I made my way over to her.

"Hi there," I greeted, taking a seat on the bench next to her. The bench was hard and uncomfortable. I was surprised that she chose to sit here instead of on one of the empty sofas, unless she really wanted to avoid me, "I'm Ravenfire Ashe."

She looked up from her drawing at me and gave me a small, shy smile.

"I know," she replied, but then seemed mortified by her answer, "I've heard of you. I overheard your name on the train…and all the things you did last year. My name's Willow, by the way."

She had an accent that I couldn't quite place. Most people at Hogwarts had an English accent because most of them lived in the United Kingdom, or at least the magical sister to it. I had an Australian accent because Mother was from Australia originally. Her family moved closer to the Malfoys before she started Hogwarts, but the accent never left. Father, whose family came from Ireland, had an Irish accent, but it was Mother's that I'd adopted.

But Willow had none of these.

"How aren't you in Gryffindor?" she asked me.

"Slytherin is in my blood, I guess," I said with a shrug. I didn't want to divulge that I'd almost been in Gryffindor, especially not to this girl, who was hardly more than a stranger, "Not one person in my family was in any of the other Houses. You looked pretty shocked yourself to be placed in Slytherin. Hoping for a different House?"

"No, no!" she exclaimed quickly, thinking I was offended, "I love being in Slytherin. It's just…I've heard things about this House."

"We've had our share of bad wizards, but so have others. And we've had good wizards too."

"I know about that, but it's not what I meant," she sighed and looked down at her drawing. It was a sketch of herself with the sorting hat on her head, "It's just that…a lot of people in this House are apparently really concerned with blood purity."

"Oh! Are you…"

"Muggle-born?" she interjected, "Yes."

I remained silent, not knowing what to say. Both my family and the Malfoys _were_ really concerned with blood purity, and so were many other Slytherins. So were almost all the Slytherins.

"I just feel like no one is going to like me in this House."

"I'll like you," I told her, "I'm good friends with a muggle-born in Gryffindor."

"What about the others?"

"Maybe…just don't tell anyone."

This was not the answer she was looking for.

"Listen," I continued, putting a gentle hand on her forearm, "They shouldn't care. No matter what your blood status is, you're a Slytherin. You're a part of the family now. Besides, the sorting hat knows more than we do about ourselves. It obviously thinks that you have what it take to be in this House."

Willow looked back up at me and smiled.

"Where are you from?" I asked, "Your accent…it's not from around here, is it?"

"I'm from the United States."

"How did you get come here? Mostly everyone is from this area."

"I'm not sure," she said with a shrug, "You know more about all of this than I do. Is there even a magic school in the U.S.?"

"I don't know. If there is, I've never heard of it."

"Well, even if there is, I guess I'm glad I came here. I just thought I'd be in a different House. One that was more accepting of muggle-born students. Like…literally any House except Slytherin."

"You'll be fine," I promised, "No one even needs to know."

"They'll find out eventually."

"Like I said, you were put in Slytherin for a reason."

Willow didn't respond. She looked back down at her picture, as if imagining the sketched sorting hat on her head announcing that she would be in Gryffindor. I smiled at her comfortingly.

"You belong with us."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Morning," I muttered, sitting on the bench next to Draco in the Great Hall. Before I'd even gotten to pile food on my breakfast plate, I felt my eyes start to close.

How late had I been up last night?

Yawning, I rested my head on my best friend's shoulder.

"You apparently didn't get much sleep," he observed.

Only vaguely did I hear his words, but I sleepily nodded. I was half-certain I was dreaming when I heard the sound of Draco scooping fruit onto my breakfast platter.

"I guess went to bed really late. I was looking over the transfiguration textbook."

"What for?"

"I wanted to see if we were learning about…you know, that thing we were talking about on the train."

"Father told us that we don't learn about animaguses until next year, remember?"

" _Animagi_ ," I corrected, "Don't shout it out. We're trying to keep it a secret, remember? And no, I don't at all remember your father saying that."

"Well…he did."

Suddenly, my eyes flashed open as an owl screeched loudly – very close to my face – and dropped a letter in my lap.

When had Fatigo flown in?

I glanced at the letter resting on my thighs and picked it up. I'd been sure it was a letter from Mother, but I was shocked when the fancy scrawl matched that of Lucius.

When I noticed that it was from him, I hoped that it was about the mysterious, leather-bound book he'd given to Ginny. But when I broke the seal, I was disappointed to see that it only concerned my newly-acquired ability.

It read:

 _Dear Ravenfire. Your mother has informed me that she has been teaching you how to control your animagus. She has told me that, besides the occasional and random appearance of your ears, you are fully capable of controlling your fox._

 _Congratulations._

 _However against your mother's views, I must take you to get registered at the Ministry. It is of the upmost importance that you – especially you – stay out of Azkaban for reasons you might not fully understand yet. Ideally, it should be done as soon as possible, but I'm aware that you're only allowed to leave Hogwarts on certain occasions._

 _Therefore, I hope to take you to the Ministry over Christmas break, but it does need to happen with your consent. I will not force you, but your mother doesn't need to know either._

 _I look forward to seeing you. Have a good term._

 _–_ _Lucius_

I had only just finished reading when a loud yell resounded through the Great Hall, clearing out what little drowsiness was left.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" a red, floating letter from the Gryffindor table screamed, "STEALING THE CAR! I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU!"

As it went on, everyone in the hall stopped to watch, even Fatigo, who currently was biting at a piece of my cantaloupe.

I almost felt bad for Weasley, but it was his stupid fault anyway.

I had gotten a howler once. It was the first time I'd run away to Malfoy Manor after my father had beaten me. He was too preoccupied to fetch me himself so he sent a howler demanding I return home at once. Naturally, Lucius heard from his office, and Dobby nearly had a heart attack. So, since he was one of the only people who could openly talk to my father, Mr. Malfoy told him that I needed a place to go when I felt unsafe at home. It took a lot of arguing and convincing, as it often did when their conversations regarded me, but I was given a safe haven in the end.

"AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME," the red envelope finished.

It stuck out its tongue before tearing itself up. Weasley sat in shock, looking horrified at the scraps of paper littering his table. As soon as the Great Hall fell quiet again, people began talking, no doubt making fun of Weasley and the howler he'd gotten from his mother.

Draco said nothing. He simply burst out laughing. As Fatigo flew away, Willow entered the Great Hall looking just as sleepy as I had. I signaled for her to sit across from Draco and me.

It took her a few moments to notice me, and even once she had, she looked reluctant, but eventually, she took a seat across from me at the breakfast table. I smiled as she grabbed a few spoonfuls of fruit for herself.

"Good morning," I greeted, "Willow, this is Draco."

"Hello," Draco responded, glancing her over apprehensively, "You're a first year, aren't you?"

Willow nodded, as if scared that opening her mouth to speak would reveal her blood impurity.

"Second year," he commented, his face relaxing as he took another bite of his bagel, "Nice to meet you, I suppose. You don't look like you're from around here. Where are you originally from?"

"America," she spoke quietly, "The United States of America. I'm from Texas."

"Isn't there a school of magic there?" Draco asked.

I elbowed him. The last thing I wanted was for Willow to think she wasn't wanted at Hogwarts even before revealing her blood status, and that was certainly what Draco's tone implied. However, if she noticed, she didn't show it.

"I don't know," replied Willow with her rich, smooth voice, growing a little louder. A little more comfortable.

"That's interesting. I don't think I told you last night, but my family lives in Ireland," I interjected before Draco said anything else.

"Really?"

"Yes. Though we aren't as far away as you might think though, and travelling is easy when you have floo powder."

By the fading smile on Willow's face, I knew I'd said the wrong thing.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that her family likely wouldn't have Floo powder.

She might not even know what it is.

"Oh right," she muttered, blushing and looking down at her breakfast plate

Unfortunately, Draco noticed and shot me a questioning look.

I shrugged, as though I had not the slightest clue what was wrong with the girl who was smiling barely a moment ago. Draco shook his head and scowled at Willow while she was looking down. Somehow, he'd become disgusted with her before he even knew that she muggle-born.

"Raven, let's go. Our class is starting soon," Draco said impatiently, already collecting his things and leaving his plate half-full of breakfast.

I nodded and stood up with him, even though we had nearly a full hour before our class really started. When Willow looked back up at me, I gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll see you around."

She nodded as I followed Draco out of the Great Hall. Once we were out of earshot, I turned to him.

"What was that about?"

"I don't like her. She's weird."

"No, she's not."

Draco huffed and rolled his eyes, "She's just too quiet, or something."

"She's new here, and she just met you. How can you expect her to be any different?"

Draco shrugged.

"She's worried that you're not going to like her. She's worried no one will," I added as we exited the castle and walked into one of the courtyards. With the time that we now had before our potions lesson started, we sat on one of the stone benches and enjoyed the late-summer air before it turned too chilly.

"No one will if she doesn't talk," Draco shot back, "Besides, you like her. Has she actually talked to you?"

"Of course! I-."

"Maybe your friend could take the photo and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"

I was cut off by the shrill voice of Colin Creevy – a first year who was pestering Harry Potter across the courtyard.

Draco glanced at me with a mischievous smirk before grasping my wrist and pulling me over to them.

"Signed photos?" he asked loudly, fingers still encircling my wrist, "You're giving out signed photos, Potter? Everyone line up! Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"

"No, I'm not," Harry muttered angrily, glowering at us, "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You're just jealous," Creevy defended as a crowd began to form around us.

"Jealous?" Draco asked, "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my forehead, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special myself. Besides, Raven has plenty of cuts and bruises."

My mouth fell open slightly in shock, and my cheeks tinted pink.

I did want my situation at home to become common knowledge around the school.

But if Creevy heard anything after my name, he didn't show it. My name was enough to make his eyes shoot right toward me as though I hadn't even been standing there a second ago.

"Ravenfire Ashe," he gasped, "I heard all about you! You helped Harry take down the Dark Lord last year in order to create an alliance between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"Umm, no," sneered Draco, stepping between me and Colin, "She did it to prove that Gryffindors aren't the only brave ones – as they like to think. She did it to show how much better Slytherins are than you Gryffindors. We're smart, cunning, _and_ brave!"

"Oh! Eat slugs, Malfoy," Weasley suddenly jumped in.

Before that moment, I hadn't even seen him standing there.

"Be careful, Weasley. You don't want to start any trouble or your mommy will come and take you away from school," Draco jeered before turning to Harry, "Weasley would like a signed photo. It'd be worth more than his family's whole house."

Just then, Weasley whipped out his damaged wand that was only held together by Spellotape. As if I actually thought he was capable of doing something with it, I stepped in front of Draco. I was just about to pull out my own wand before Hermione whispered to both of us, "Look out."

Sure enough, Gilderoy Lockhart was on his way over, wading through the crowd of Slytherins and Gryffindors.

"What's all this, what's all this?" he asked, puffing out his chest as he reached us, "Who's giving out signed photos?"

Draco chuckled, but Lockhart was looking back and forth between Harry and I.

"Photos of the two of you? Signed by both? That would be something special, wouldn't it?"

I glared back at him, anger already coursing through me. Why was it that the mere presence of this man brought me to such indescribable ire?

Lockhart opened his mouth to say more, but before I could hear it, I felt Draco's hand clamp down on my shoulder and yank me backwards into the crowd where we disappeared. When we reemerged on the other side of the throng, Draco was beaming as we made our way out of the courtyard.

"That was fantastic!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," I answered weakly, still fuming, "It was hilarious."

"What's wrong?" he asked, his smile fading.

"Lockhart is an arse. And…can you maybe not bring up what my father does to me anymore?"

"When did I…?"

"You said that I've got a bunch of scars and bruises. You didn't say it directly, but I don't want people to know about it."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Raven."

But he wasn't, and I could tell. He wanted me to be proud of what I'd been through because it saw it as a sign of strength. Except for the fact that I was still going through it. I had not escaped, and to me, it was a sign of shame.

"I know you don't like when I pick on them," Draco went on, looking at his feet as if he were suddenly embarrassed at his uncontrollable urge to be a bully, "but I'm not doing it as much as last year, right?"

"I don't know," I admitted truthfully, "I guess not, but it's literally the first day of classes. We arrived yesterday."

"It's just so amusing! Makes sure everyone knows that he's not the perfect Harry Potter they think he is. I just can't help it sometimes."

"I know…maybe you'll grow out of it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, over the past week, I had the pleasure of reading My Immortal. For those of you who don't know, it's another Harry Potter fanfiction that was posted a while ago, but it was so bad and poorly written that it just ended up being really funny and ridiculous. I was so tempted to make a reference to it, but then I realized that both of the names of my OC's are reference enough sadly. If you haven't read it, you should.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a long one to make up for the slight lack of updates. I'm still updating regularly, just not as regularly as I'd like to.**

 **Chapter Six**

That Friday was the Slytherin Quidditch try-outs.

Most of the team consisted of players from the previous year, but there were other second-years hoping to take the spots of previous seventh years who'd graduated. Or maybe even replace older students still at Hogwarts.

Flint had made it clear that Draco and I would be given our desired positions, but he still requested our presence at the try-outs. This was partially to save face; to look like he wasn't getting bribed. He would later say that the broomsticks were a gift _after_ Draco and I had made it on the team, as if to show gratitude. We had to try out also so that Flint could gather a rough idea of our abilities.

So on Friday night, we took our brand new broomsticks and trotted off to the Quidditch field. The rest of the brooms had already been delivered to Flint to pass out once a team had been established. When we arrived, he was already flying around on his Nimbus 2001, his chest puffed out triumphantly.

"Ashe!" he yelled, spotting me as I moved across the field, "You're up first. I'm going to release both bludgers, and you're going to defend yourself."

Quickly mounting my broom, I took off and hovered a few feet away from him as he nodded to another team member to unlatch the bludgers from the case. Flint looked at me, his eyes narrow but lips curved into a devious smirk, before flying out of the way.

He was hoping that I would get hurt.

That way, if it was bad enough, I wouldn't be able to play, but I'd still officially be on the team, which meant that he'd still get his new broomsticks. My try-out was already unfair since other students trying out for the position of beater only had to fight of one bludger.

It was because I was a female.

Slytherins never allowed girls on their team, let alone let them take positions that were oriented towards males – as Draco had later informed me when he'd tried to explain the sexist comment he'd made to me when he first found out which position I was after.

I just had to prove Flint wrong.

As both bludgers rose in the air, they headed straight for me. I got a firm hold on the shaft of me broom before slamming my bat into one of the bludgers and narrowly dodging the other.

The one I hit went flying in Flint's direction. Scowling, he darted out of its path, but I was focused on the other already, which was coming back for me. Since he hadn't told me to aim for a specific point, I just hit them around.

I figured he would have had me stop once I'd proven myself, but instead, he told me to continue until he told me I was done. While I continued fighting off the bludgers, the other students tried out.

I knew he was trying to tire me out so that eventually I made a mistake and got hurt.

But though I was sweating and shaking, I didn't.

Maybe it was the human fight or flight instinct that kicked in. Fleeing wasn't an option, so I had to either fight off the threat, or get hurt.

By the time Flint addressed me again, everyone else had left the field except for Draco, who was leaning against the side of the Quidditch Pitch, waiting.

"Alright, Ashe!" Flint called from the ground, "You can come down now!"

Panting and trembling from muscle fatigue, I lowered myself back to earth.

"You're strong and balanced enough," he continued, crossing his arms, almost with disinterest, "As a matter of fact, you're not half bad…for a girl. Congrats on being the first female ever to join the Slytherin Quidditch team."

I didn't respond, unsure of whether it was something to be proud of.

"I'll see you both at the crack of dawn tomorrow for practice."

* * *

Draco shook me awake. He was holding his broomstick, and he was dressed in green Quidditch robes. I sat up and rubbed the blurry sleep out of my eyes. Somehow, he'd gotten in without waking up any of the other girls in my dorm, but upon seeing him, I gasped, suddenly very awake.

"Draco!" I whispered frantically, "You can't be in here!"

"Well, who else was going to wake you up?" he replied, "The team is waiting for you downstairs. Hurry up! Flint isn't patient, and he already doesn't like you."

"Fine," I sighed, moving so that my feet were on the ground, "Just get out!"

His eyes almost conveyed hurt, but it was against the rules to be in the girls' dormitory.

Once he was gone, I grabbed my Quidditch uniform off of the window ledge, where I'd laid it out the previous night. I threw it on quickly, only slowing to tie my leather boots so they wouldn't become untied later.

On my way to the door, I passed by the floor-length mirror that Pansy had next to her bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of scarlet. I froze and glanced at myself.

"Ohhh," I whined, noticing the ears protruding from my head.

I tried to focus on getting them to disappear, but Draco was lightly wrapping on the door. I didn't have time for this. I whipped out my wand from under my green robes and pointed it at my head.

" _Prosus Humana_ ," I muttered quickly, hoping that I correctly remembered the spell.

I shivered as my ears shrunk back into my scalp, disappointed that I'd had to use my wand but relieved they were gone.

"Raven, the team is about to leave without you!" Draco hissed through the door.

Shoving my wand back in my robes and grabbing my broomstick, I hurried out to the team.

Predictably, Flint was not happy.

He spent the entire walk to the Quidditch Pitch lecturing me.

"What does being on this team mean to you, Ravenfire?" he demanded, "Do you take it seriously, or is it just some stupid game to you? We've made a lot of exceptions to allow you on this team, and you treat it like a damn joke…"

He continued, but I began to ignore him.

I took the team seriously, and I loved Quidditch, but I felt no need to prove that to him. Besides, I was tired. It was a struggle just to keep my eyes open, let alone listen or respond to the scolding. As we finally made it onto the field, the dew from the grass made my boots damp. It was perfectly brisk for a summer morning with the sun just peeking through the trees of the forbidden forest. The one thing that ruined the picture was the flock of red-robed students that flew over to confront us.

"Flint!" the Gryffindor team captain yelled, "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

"Plenty of room for all of us, Wood," he retorted, ironically the one willing to share.

"But I booked the field! I booked it!"

"Ah, but I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape," he informed before reading it aloud, "'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to practice their new seeker and their new beater."

"What? You've got a new beater _and_ a new seeker? Who?" spat Wood. The rest of the team stepped away as Draco and I walked forward to the captains.

"Malfoy?" he chuckled, "As a beater?"

"No," snarled Flint, "Draco is our seeker."

The amusement on Wood's face melted into shock as he looked me over. Then he stepped closer to Flint and lowered his voice, as if I wouldn't be able to hear him.

"You're letting a twelve-year-old female be your beater? You've never even let girls on the team before. She's going to get hurt."

"You're Ravenfire Ashe. You helped out Harry, Ron, and Hermione last year," Fred Weasley observed favorably, before turning to Draco, "And you…aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Funny you should mention Draco's father. Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team," Flint bragged, gesturing to our brooms, "Very latest model. Only came out last month. I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the Weasleys' old Cleansweeps, sweeps the board with them."

Draco was smirking proudly, but I was too tired to respond to anything Flint said. However, when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned to look as Ron Weasley and Hermione hurried onto the field to see what was happening.

"Why aren't you playing? And what're they doing here?" the younger Weasley brother asked nastily as they came closer.

"I'm the new Slytherin seeker, Weasley," Draco replied, "And Raven is the new beater. So, we need to be trained."

I smiled at the ground when Hermione didn't even flinch at the news…neither had Harry a few minutes earlier as he stood with his own broom next to the Weasley twins. But Ron Weasley shook his head in utter shock.

"What?!" he exclaimed, looking at me.

"That's right," I defended, suddenly narrowing my eyes at him, "And everyone's just admiring the new brooms that Mr. Malfoy bought for our team."

Weasley's mouth dropped open when he looked at the new Nimbus 2001's we were holding.

"Good, aren't they?" Draco asked, posing with it, "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise enough gold and get some new brooms too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," Hermione interjected, "They got in on pure talent."

A surprising sting of pain shot through me. She couldn't have been talking about me. I needed the bribe because I was a female. It had nothing to do with my talent level. But while I tried to convince myself, Draco approached her.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood," he growled.

"Draco!" I scolded immediately, "You can't call people that!"

Perhaps it was the fact that I now had two muggle-born friends, and that the girl Draco had just directly insulted was one of them, but his words irked me more than they ever had before. He turned towards me in confusion because a year ago, I might have ignorantly used the same language. However, he didn't have a long time to gawk before Weasley pulled out his wand.

"How dare you?" he exclaimed, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!"

I whipped out my wand at the same time Weasley cast his spell and cast Protego against it. My mother had taught me that spell years ago because she wanted me to be able to protect myself against my father's Crutiartus Curse. However, even though I could defend myself, I was too afraid to go against him. She must have known that.

But now, as I was protecting Draco, the spell's effect seemed more as a mirror than a shield because it reflected the spell right back at Weasley. I gasped as he flew backwards onto the grass. Several shocked faces turned towards me.

"Raven!" Hermione cried before running over to Weasley.

I might have tried to apologize, but I was frozen.

Besides, I didn't like the red-head enough to compromise my relationship with Draco in order to apologize for something that wasn't even my fault. The team around me burst into laughter as Weasley gagged and puked up a big, slimy slug. I grimaced, repressing my own gag reflex while Draco hung onto my shoulder in laughter.

Harry, Hermione, and Weasley hurried off the field with the Gryffindor team while I watched, my mouth hanging open, the apology still sour and waiting on my tongue.

"Nice cast, Ashe. Maybe you're not… _too_ bad," Flint was saying through laughter, "But anyway, now we've got the whole field to ourselves. Let's get practicing before the other team comes back."

* * *

After practice, Draco and I immediately went to the Great Hall.

Even though nothing had happened to him, he still insisted on telling Professor McGonagall about Weasley's attempted jinx. I told him to go ahead as I saw Willow sitting alone at the Slytherin table. As I approached her, I looked at the charms homework she was working on.

"Hey," I greeted, sitting down across from her, "I remember writing that paper last year. Flitwick isn't too hard on grading, especially for the first essay of the year."

"Yeah," she laughed, looking up for only a second before continuing to work, "The homework here isn't too bad. Well, not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Just wait. It's only been one week. I can help you though, since I've taken all of these classes."

She giggled, but then her smile faded. She looked back up, almost nervous, "Hey, umm…I kinda wanted to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Well, umm, when Draco woke you up this morning, he was being a little bit loud. And I'm not a heavy sleeper. What I mean is…well, I woke up too and-."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" I interrupted, "I told him he wasn't supposed to be in there."

"No, it's not that!" she said quickly, "I don't care about that. No, it's just that…after you got dressed, I saw your-."

She stopped abruptly, and instead of saying the words, she moved her hands above her head in a few strange gestures. Nevertheless, I knew what she meant right away.

"Gods," I gasped, covering my mouth, "I'm so sorry. I forgot all about that. You can't let anyone know! I'll be arrested!"

"I won't tell anyone," she said putting her hand up as if as a gesture of innocence, "I promise. But I don't understand what it is."

I sighed. I knew she wouldn't tell anyone. I'd just met her, but I trusted her. It was still a difficult conversation to have, especially with someone far more comfortable with muggle life. I was worried she would look at me like I was a monster.

"I'm something called an animagus. It's when a human can turn into a certain animal at will. I'm still getting used to controlling mine. According to Draco's father, we learn about them in our third year."

The horrified look I'd been fearing never came. Instead, she looked interested.

"Wow, that's really cool!"

"Raven," Draco interrupted as he walked over. He sat down on the bench next to me with a huff of annoyance, "She said since nothing happened, she wouldn't take away points! Isn't that ridiculous? You're not in trouble for your protection spell, by the way."

"Oh, good," I replied dryly. I hadn't really been too concerned.

"Why?" Willow asked, "What happened?"

"She speaks!" Draco gawked humorlessly.

"Shut up, Draco, she did talk before. You just weren't listening," I scowled before addressing Willow's question, "Weasley tried to jinx him, but I cast a protection spell. Weasley got hit with his own jinx. Now, he's barfing up slugs."

"Oh. Wow."

"Surprised the news hasn't gotten to you yet. Word travels fast at Hogwarts."

"Maybe it's because you're the only one she talks to," Draco snapped nastily.

Willow's gentle smile fell from her face. Both hurt and confusion were reflected in her eyes. I glanced at Draco in distain.

"What's wrong with you?" I whispered as Willow began working on her paper again.

Instead of answering, Draco rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'll see you later," he told me before leaving the Great Hall.

I watched him go, and once he'd disappeared, I looked back at Willow. Though she hid it well, I knew that tears were biting at her eyes, pleading for freedom.

"D-did you tell him? About me?" she murmured.

"Of course not," I promised, reaching across the table to touch her forearm, "I'd never do that. I seriously don't know what his problem is with you. He's being really rude."

Willow shrugged, "It's alright."

"No, it's not. You've done nothing to warrant this. I'll talk to him later."

"Please don't. It's not that big of a deal."

"Obviously it is. I'm not going to make things worse. I'm just going to ask him why he doesn't like you. Okay?"

Willow refused to meet my eyes.

"Yeah, I guess."

She began blinking rapidly, and I knew that she was fighting hard to keep her tears from spilling over.

"Hey, he just needs to get to know you. Try talking a little more around him, and maybe he'll warm up to you."

She forced a smile and looked up at me.

"Okay, I'll try."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

I zoomed along the perimeter of the track, trying to get to the bludger before it got to Draco. Huge raindrops pelted down on me like knives, but I was already soaked in sweat and covered in mud. If anything, the rain was helping.

As September turned to October, the grounds became one step away from being classified as a swamp. I was thankful that my brown, matted hair swirled behind me instead of getting stuck to my neck, chest, or goggles.

The team was locked in a scrimmage. Half of the team against the other half. Draco only chased after the snitch since there was only one seeker on the team. When he caught it, he'd let it go and resume the chase. Regardless of whether or not he caught it, we'd keep playing until the end of practice.

Every practice was done in the same way. We'd done this very thing – mud, rain, and all – three times this week. The only difference today was that we had a spectator high up in one of the stands, kept dry by the cover of an awning.

Lucius Malfoy.

Narcissa had written to Draco a few weeks prior and told us that he'd be coming to watch a practice soon. He wanted to see exactly what kind of team he'd created when he bribed the captain to give us our desired positions.

Basically, he wanted to see if Draco and I were really any good.

But when Draco received the message, he complained that he'd never gotten an actual letter from his father. I tried to comfort him by saying I hadn't gotten one from mine either. I didn't mention that I'd received a letter directly from Mr. Malfoy. It still confused me.

How did he have time to write to me but not to his own son? Surely Narcissa knew of my fox; why hadn't he had her send that letter as well?

My attention was drawn back to the field as I blasted the ball away from Draco. Goyle was the other beater on our team, which made us a comical pair for the position. Next to him, I looked gangly and completely unfit to have my position. But when we were playing, I was slightly better than Goyle simply because I had quicker reflexes.

We continued hitting the bludgers away from various teammates until Flint called us to land in the swamp with him.

"We're in really good shape right now, folks!" he shouted over the pounding sheets of rain, "We're still going to keep practicing like this until our first match, but we've already made loads of progress. At this rate, we'll be able to beat Gryffindor with our eyes closed!"

I noticed that his eyes met the eyes of every single player on the team, except for me. He addressed the guys as if there was no girl among them. To Flint, I was as good as invisible.

Once he'd finished, Draco and I trudged through the muddy, standing water to outside of the Quidditch Pitch. Waiting a few yards away was Mr. Malfoy, under a black umbrella.

"Daddy," I squealed, using the very last of my energy to skip over to him.

I was just about to wrap my arms around him when he put a firm hand on my sternum to stop me.

"Don't hug me, Raven. Look at yourself," he said dryly, "You're covered in mud, and you're soaking wet."

Like a playful puppy who didn't care that she'd just been rejected, I stepped back and smiled.

"Father," Draco greeted – much more soberly – as he made his way over.

"Draco," Lucius replied with a nod, "You're both playing well. The entire team is, as a matter of fact. You have a good chance at winning the Quidditch cup this year."

"Thank you, Father."

"Draco, work a little more on your control. You don't want Potter to best you when you lose control of your broomstick, do you? I thought not," Lucius scolded before turning to me with a scowl, "And Raven, you stupid girl, when and why did you decide you wanted to be a beater?"

I shrugged as a blush heated my cheeks and my smile fell.

"You're aware that those positions are generally reserved for more…muscular males? What put the idea in your head that you could be a beater? You're a small, preteen girl."

I looked down at my feet even though I knew better than to ever be ashamed in front of him.

"Flint said I wasn't half bad…and he hates me."

"You're not bad, Raven," Mr. Malfoy sighed as though it physically pained him to say it, "You're good…impressively so, but that's not the point. It's the choice itself. Becoming a beater with no past experience – and very little muscle – you could have very easily gotten hurt if you discovered you weren't good."

"But I didn't get hurt," I retorted, looking back up and offering a cheeky smile.

Lucius remained unamused.

"Just think a little before making another stupid decision like this. Next time, you may not be so lucky."

* * *

Later that month, we had the Halloween feast that Draco and I had been looking forward to. We both agreed that Christmas and Halloween were the best holidays by far. Much of the school seemed to share our enthusiasm for the season, even Willow who had become increasingly talkative around Draco.

The three of us sat in the middle of the Slytherin table, surrounded closely by Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and the Quidditch team. Our popularity within the House had been growing quickly.

"Where are they anyway?" Draco suddenly asked me.

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"The mudblood, Potter, and Weasley?"

"Draco," I scolded gently, catching Willow's frown from the corner of my eye, "You can't call people that. It's becoming more and more common to be a muggle-born wizard or witch. You might offend someone without meaning to."

"So what if I offend them? Besides, you used to say it," he muttered, scooping more pudding onto my plate.

"I only said it because I didn't know it was hurtful. I was used to hearing it because of our families. I never said it with the intent to offend someone."

Draco shrugged while the dancing skeleton band begun to play. As he continued eating, he remained silent and refused to meet my eye. He was like a child who knew he was wrong but wouldn't admit it.

"It's our favorite holiday, and I don't want to fight," I told him, turning back to my pudding, "I would just avoid using that term so loosely."

He looked up at me to respond, but suddenly stopped in horror as his gaze rested on directly above my head. I froze, a spoonful of pudding hovering in front of my mouth, hoping it wasn't what I feared. I set down the spoon and looked at Draco, shaking my head as if I could tell him that he wasn't seeing what I knew he was. But he responded with a nod.

My ears had appeared.

I silently hoped no one had noticed, but every pair of eyes at the Slytherin table, and a few at adjacent tables, were already looking at me.

"Wow, Ashe," Flint commented, reaching around Draco to scratch behind one of my ears, "These are cute."

"I...umm…" I struggled, fighting to come up with an explanation when the scratching felt so _good_.

"Yeah, Raven, that's an awesome Halloween costume!" Willow chimed in, saving me.

"Thanks," I breathed as my eyes fought to roll up into my head.

"I don't know," continued Flint, not pausing in his scratching, "These seem pretty real."

I did everything I could think of to keep from pushing my head against his hand. However, I did moan softly, but the sound was deep in my throat. I hoped that only Draco and Willow had heard it.

But Flint was smirking.

The scratching stopped abruptly and Flint's hand retreated as Dumbledore stepped up to the podium.

"I hope you all had a fun and memorable Halloween feast," he bellowed over the Great Hall.

As he continued, I was able to use his small speech as a distraction to relax my fox ears back into my head. I was relieved when they disappeared easily without the use of magic.

By the time I was paying attention to Dumbledore again, he was already giving exit instructions.

When we left, we followed our prefects down the dimly lit corridors with the other Houses before we reached the point where we would split up. When we turned the corner, those ahead of us stopped abruptly, and we crashed into their backs.

There were a couple loud groans of annoyance and quite a few students demanding to know why we'd stopped. As though we shared one line of thought, Draco and I both began pushing to the front of the crowd. Most people huffed at us or glared in irritation, but no one tried to stop us.

When we reached the front, we saw what had caused everyone to stop so quickly. One of the walls was covered in blood. The shiny, scarlet liquid was smeared across the concrete to create a message:

 _The chamber of secrets has been opened; enemies of the heir beware._

And hanging from a wall lantern by her tail was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Then I noticed a small group of people standing in front of the Slytherin House, also staring up at the message and the cat.

Harry, Hermione, and Weasley.

"Enemies of the heir beware?" Draco snarled before shooting a look at Hermione, "You'll be next, mudblood."

I turned to scowl at him, but Filch was pushing his way through the crowd. He shouted grumpily, and even though the message itself meant nothing to him, I knew he'd have to clean up the blood. But when his eyes landed on the dangling Mrs. Norris, his mouth dropped open and his hand went to his heart. His eyes were always watery and beady, like a Weasel's, but now there were real tears gathering at the corners.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he cried before turning on the trio, which was looking more and more guilty, "You! You murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you!"

The three backed away, but even I had questions. Deep down, I knew none of them were capable of something like this. The message itself was enough to prove that Hermione especially was not guilty. But if they truly had nothing to do with this, why weren't they at dinner? And why were they found standing right in front of the bloody wall and the dead cat?

"Argus!" Dumbledore's booming voice came out of nowhere as he strode through the throng of students. He cut right down the center of the Slytherin House, but didn't nearly have the difficulty that Draco and I had. Everyone moved out of his way quickly, creating a pathway, "Come with me, Argus. You three too."

The headmaster led them all away, back through the pathway the Slytherin House had created. As soon as he was gone, the remaining students immediately dispersed. No one wanted to be in this creepy hallway now. They needed no invitation to make their escape.

Not pausing to worry about Draco or me, Pansy walked quickly with the rest of the Slytherins back to the common room. As the crowd seemed to move as a single unit towards the dungeons, I caught Willow's fearful eyes before she became lost again. It was only moments before Draco and I stood alone in the hallway that smelled strongly of the iron in blood.

My curiosity had kept me rooted to the spot, and Draco, surprisingly, had refused to leave my side.

"Do you think they did it?" I asked absently while I inspected the bloody message.

"Maybe. Potter basks in his fame. Now that everyone is getting over him a little bit, he's got to start some more drama. I wouldn't put something like this past him."

"I don't think they did it."

"Of course you don't. Why not?"

"For one thing, I don't think any of them know enough about the chamber of secrets."

"What do you know about it?"

"Nothing. That's exactly my point."

"True enough. Filch's face was pretty funny though," Draco chuckled.

"You know how much he loves that cat," I defended. Filch wasn't likeable, but perhaps he was more tolerable now that he had shown some emotion other than grumpiness, "How would you feel if you found a fox hanging by the tail, and I was mysteriously missing?"

If Draco thought Filch's face was 'pretty funny,' his own would have been hilarious.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Draco and I sat at our table in the Great Hall.

I was reading my transfiguration textbook while absently eating the food he continued to shovel onto my plate. I was working on a sweet bite of chocolate chip pancake when loud screeches echoed through the hall.

Fatigo was in front of me in an instant, dropping a letter onto my lap.

It took me a moment to look down from my textbook, but when I had, I noticed the fancy scrawl across the front of the envelope immediately. I took the letter and hid it inside my cloak as I finished eating.

I didn't want Draco to know that his father would write to me but not him.

But it had been a week ago, the day after Halloween, when I had sent a letter to Mr. Malfoy asking questions about the Chamber of Secrets. I hadn't even expected a reply, but since he was the governor of the school, I thought he must know something.

Once Fatigo had flown away and I'd finished my pancakes, I slipped away from the table and walked quickly back to the common room under the pretext that I'd forgotten my Potions homework. After looking suspiciously at me for a moment, Draco agreed to wait for me if I hurried. Once I was sitting safely in my dorm, I tore open the letter. It read:

 _Dear Ravenfire,_

 _I received your letter, but it would not be prudent to share the extent of my knowledge with you through the use of letters. In fact, I seriously considered not telling you anything at all through this method of communication, but now I believe your involvement might be useful if not crucial. I'll tell you that what you asked about is, as its name suggests, a secret chamber hidden inside the school. It was built by Salazar Slytherin and is said to contain a monster._

 _Many believe this chamber does not exist because no evidence has been found of it. However, if someone – or something – has already been mysteriously petrified, I don't understand why doubt would still be present. Speak of this information to no one, including Draco. I will talk to you more face to face, and I will write again to you when I've made plans to come to the school._

 _-Lucius_

* * *

"'Moste Potente Potions'," I repeated, "It's a book."

"I gathered that much," Draco retorted bitterly, "since you said you overheard them in the library."

It was late on a Friday night, and all of the other Slytherins were asleep. Draco and I, however, were laying on the ground in front of the roaring fire in our common room. The dungeons got chilly in the winter time, and December was slowly approaching. Snuggling under a blanket for warmth, I decided to tell Draco what I'd heard earlier in the library.

"Hermione, Harry, and Weasley had a note from Lockhart to get a book out of the restricted section," I continued.

"The potions book?"

"Yes…aren't you curious what they'd want it for?" I asked, not understanding why Draco was so indifferent. Normally, he'd be exceedingly curious about anything that had to do with the trio.

"I am curious, Raven," he sighed, not for the first time reminding me of his father "I'm just tired. Besides, Granger's probably read all of the other books. She's just looking for something new. It's not out of character. Don't worry about it."

"Normally I'm the one to say something like that."

When Draco didn't respond, I laid my head down on his chest with a sigh. I'd been this close to him before, but it felt different now. I couldn't ignore the small flutter in my heart whenever we got this close. And with my ear against his chest, I could hear the pulsing of his heartbeat as well.

It'd been happening throughout the entire year, the palpitations. I hadn't let myself admit it, or even entertain the notion, but the possibility was definitely there.

But did I have a crush?

* * *

"Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero!" Lee Jordan called.

I hovered on my broom, watching the two bludgers. One was going after a Gryffindor girl while she tried to make a goal. That had been directed by me to go after her. The other one was following Harry, and that was the one I hadn't touched all game, which was uncommon. It was almost like an angry hornet, moving as if it were attached to him.

Gryffindor suddenly called timeout.

Good.

As they all landed, Draco flew over to me.

"What do you think is going on?" I asked.

"Rogue bludger," he chuckled, "It's delicious, isn't it?"

"It's either rogue or bewitched."

As I hovered a little closer, I was able to pick up a few words from the Gryffindor team. It was pretty easy to hear most of what they were saying when their anger made it seem like they were shouting.

"Someone's fixed it!" George Weasley exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, "It won't leave Harry alone! It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"I bet it was Ashe," I heard a girl named Alicia Spinnet comment nastily, "She's a beater. It would only make sense. Besides, everyone knows her magic is advanced. She's more than capable of doing it."

"It wasn't her," Harry said, shaking his head, but I could see in his eyes that, while he was denying it, he wasn't certain, "She wouldn't do something to deliberately hurt me."

"Yeah," Oliver agreed, "I'm not a big fan of Ashe, but she couldn't have done it. The bludgers have all been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice."

"She still could have done it! I'd be surprised if she's not the one behind this!" another girl agreed with Alicia.

I felt a body slide up next to me, but assuming it was Draco, I continued listening…until the other body leaned over to whisper in my ear.

" _Hello, Ashe_."

My stomach turned as I flinched, causing my broomstick to float away a few inches.

"What do you want, Flint?" I asked, still grimacing, but he just laughed at my disgust.

"I was just going to give you some friendly advice, from team captain to subordinate," he commented, but I rolled my eyes, "Seriously, Ashe. That was a good hit towards Angelina. Keep it up. Both the Gryffindor beaters are going to be protecting Potter now because that one bludger won't leave him alone. This is good for you. It means you only have one bludger to worry about. I want you to do everything you can with that second one."

Then he flew off to give "friendly advice" to other team members. Though he was ignorant and mean, Flint truly was a good captain. He somehow knew exactly what to do to win the game. He had a very strategic mind, and that at least, I could respect.

Only seconds later, Madam Hooch blew her whistle again, and we were off.

The chaser from our team sped by while I tried to locate the second bludger in all the confusion. Adrian Pucey – a cute, black-haired Slytherin player – zoomed by me. Balancing on my broomstick, I watched the bludger heading in my direction. Right as I was about to hit it, Harry whizzed past me with the rogue bludger on his tail.

Draco, who was shouting teases and insults, caused Harry to hesitate long enough for the bludger to slam into his arm. As it swerved like a boomerang to come back, I swung my bat at it. Luckily I was in the right position to hit it forcefully. I watched it fly away, but it was back soon enough.

Luckily, Harry had flown forward just enough for the bludger to miss him, but the pain in his arm was still clearly unbearable, as he began to plummet to the ground. The crowd around us gasped along with me. At the last moment, Harry managed to right the broomstick so that it flew parallel to the ground even as it dipped lower and lower. Finally, his back scraped along the ground before he let go of his broom and dropped the last couple inches.

But he only began to descend after his fingers had closed around the snitch.

Slytherin had lost.

And it was my fault for trying to protect Harry.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay! I hope you all have a great Halloween if you're celebrating!**

 **Chapter Nine**

Minutes after he had fallen to the ground, Harry awoke with a start to see Weasley, Hermione, and I crouched around him. The rest of the Slytherins had already moped off the field, but we were surrounded by the rest of the Gryffindors and the Hogwarts staff.

"Oh no, not you," Harry croaked groggily as his eyes landed on Professor Lockhart, kneeling on the other side of him.

"Doesn't know what he's saying!" Lockhart proclaimed, "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

"No! I'll keep it like this. Thanks…"

"It's a simple charm I've used countless times-."

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?"

"He really should," I commented, shooting a look at Lockhart, "Or at least have it done by someone whom we've witnessed perform a successful cast."

When he met my eyes, I could see his confidence flicker, but he recovered quickly. Hermione's look, on the other hand, was filled with almost-tangible indignation at my comment. I didn't understand how she could be so brilliant but still have a crush on this man.

"Stand back," Lockhart continued, ultimately ignoring my comment whilst pointing his wand at Harry's arm, " _Brachium Immendo!_ "

I noticed the spell immediately from when Lucius had used it on my at the Christmas party a year ago. My ribs had been broken by my father's boot, and Lucius had made sure I was fixed before returning to the party. But when he cast it, the incantation had sounded gentle and comforting. When Lockhart cast, it sounded harsh and full of bravado.

I didn't expect the spell to work. I'd thought it would either do nothing or make the problem worse. Instead, Harry's arm went completely limp in Lockhart's hand. It bended further than a regular arm should bend. Lockhart's cast had completely removed the bones from Harry's arm.

"Ah. Yes," Lockhart commented, glancing up at my horrified face – one which reflected the looks of the entire crowd of spectators, "Well, that can sometimes happen, but the important thing is that the bones are no longer broken."

Anger surged through me.

" _What bones?_ " I snapped, "Honestly, can you do any spells? You git! You're so fake."

Now, everyone was looking at me in shock.

A student of any age was not supposed to be calling any teacher a git, let alone a famous one. Over Lockhart's shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Snape watching me with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Umm…" Lockhart stumbled on awkwardly, forcing a weak smile onto his face, "Maybe you and your friends could escort him to the hospital wing?"

"You should take him. It's the least you could do for screwing up his arm."

Then, ignoring the shocked stares from the other students and teachers, I got to my feet and stormed off without looking back.

* * *

"I heard you told him off," Draco said, pacing in front of the common room fireplace. Willow sat on the sofa parallel to the roaring flames while I sat cattycornered to her. "Everyone's heard."

"Yes, well, he made me mad," I shot back, lacing up my leather boots.

Though it had happened hours before, I was still infuriated, and I wanted to take a walk around the castle, even though it was too late to be allowed.

"Why?" asked Draco.

I looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"Why did he make you so mad? All he did was mess up Potter's arm. I'd have thought you'd find it funny. Unless you care about Potter a little more than you let on. Got a crush on him, have you?"

I rolled my eyes and got to my feet.

"Come off it, Draco," I scoffed, "I don't have a crush on Harry, but you should know that I wouldn't find something like that funny. Besides, it has nothing to do with Harry. Lockhart makes me mad all the time."

"I wish I could have seen his face when you called him a git," Willow commented with a laugh. It was an obvious attempt to diffuse the tension, but it worked.

"Yeah," I replied with a smile of my own, "His face was pretty priceless. As was him trying to maintain his dignity."

Willow's grin faded, "What time will you be back?"

"I don't know. I want to have enough time to clear my head."

"Be careful, will you?" she asked, "It was only a cat before, but you never know who'll be the next to be petrified."

I nodded, "I'll be fine. I'll be back in an hour or so."

As I turned, Draco grabbed my wrist and spun me back around. Before I could demand to know what he was doing, he pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear.

"Don't let me find a petrified fox tomorrow."

* * *

It was much later when I was walking down the stairs, heading back to the dungeons. I'd been walking around for close to two hours, exploring in the dark. The castle was so quiet when everyone was sleeping.

I'd only had a couple close calls, and thank the gods none of them were with Filch.

Peeves had almost caught me, but luckily, the Bloody Baron had spotted me first. I had silently hid in a dark corner, and as he looked at me, something of an understanding passed between us. He'd ordered Peeves to a different area of the castle, and I was free to roam once more.

But as I was heading back to the dungeon, I was so tired that I nearly tripped over a body lying on the steps. I recognized the boy immediately as Colin Creevey because of his camera and bright, red hair. His eyes were wide open but unblinking, and he was looking at the ceiling but no muscle in his body was moving.

He was petrified.

I gasped loudly and turned back. My plan was to find Dumbledore, but I'd only gone up a couple of stairs before I ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Ashe! This is the second time I've found you out of bed past curfew! You're lucky you're not in my own House, or I'd-," but she stopped when her eyes landed on Colin's body behind me.

Her eyes widened, and with a gasp, she pushed past me and ran to him. She was crouching over his body as she ran her fingers over his cheek, ensuring that he was indeed petrified. She let out a soft sound of distress before turning back to me.

"Make your presence useful, Ashe, and go to the hospital wing," she demanded firmly, "Don't go anywhere else, and don't stop. The corridors aren't safe. Find Madame Pomfrey and explain what's happened. I'll go to get the headmaster."

It felt like I was in a daze as I turned and ran to the hospital wing.

Running up all the staircases caused my legs to burn, but adrenaline was taking over. I refused to slow until I reached the hospital wing. Then, I moved through the hallway, looking for Madame Pomfrey, but voices inside the hospital room caused me to pause.

"I'm not going anywhere," Harry whispered, "One of my best friends is muggle-born; she'll be the first in line if the chamber really is open…"

At first, I ignored most of his words, convinced he was having a nightmare, but then I heard a different, squeaky, and undeniably familiar voice.

But why was it familiar?

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends," it said, "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must. Harry Potter must not…"

Suddenly, the voice stopped as I heard Dumbledore and McGonagall coming down the hallway.

"Dobby must go!"

I gasped.

 _Dobby?_

What was he doing here? What was he warning Harry about? Questions flooded my mind but I didn't have time to try and answer them. I hurried down the hall to find Madam Pomfrey with every intention of interrogating Dobby over the holidays.

* * *

" _What?_ " Draco exclaimed over breakfast one morning. He had just received a letter from his mother and, though I hadn't read it, I could tell that it did not contain good news.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to see the letter over his shoulder, but he thrust it inside one of his books.

"Mother says that she and Father want me to stay here over the holidays!"

"That can't be right," I commented, shaking my head, "There must be some mistake. The Christmas party is a tradition, and it's at your house this year!"

"They barely even said why. Mother said Father is busy with work, but that's it. They told me to keep my head down and not ask questions."

"Then I'll stay here too."

"No, they specifically said not to let you stay here for me."

I paused. That was odd.

"Well, I'd invite you to stay with us, but my father would surely not respond too well to that."

"No," Draco sighed, "Don't worry about it. It's…"

He trailed off and without finishing his sentence, he angrily grabbed his books and stormed off. I watched him go sadly. The Christmas party definitely would not be the same without him. My heart felt heavy when I realized that we'd be separated for longer than we'd ever been in our entire life.

This wouldn't be a fun holiday.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

I pushed the tiny cork into the opening of the little vial that contained my fox fur.

I knew that by doing this, I would be damaging their trust, but it was necessary.

Hermione couldn't turn into me. I had overheard their plan involving Polyjuice Potion one evening in the library. It was a smart plan, but there were gaping holes that would surely give them away.

None of the trio knew I would be home for the holidays. They only knew that Draco was staying. They'd made the assumption that I would be too, but they were wrong. And because they planned on transforming over the holidays, my presence would immediately be suspicious.

Besides, they didn't know me nearly as well as they thought they did.

I highly doubted that they would be able to imitate me perfectly. And Draco would undoubtedly be able to tell if I were acting different, adding to the suspicion.

Crabbe and Goyle would be a little less complex. Both would be remaining at the school, and both were so dull that they would both be easy characters to play. I wasn't concerned about Harry and Weasley turning into them.

When they thought they'd been alone in the library a few nights before, I was a couple aisles away, working on an essay. I'd overheard their entire plan, including the part about Hermione using my hair.

Would that be considered betraying my trust? I thought so. If she needed information, she could have come to me directly instead of pretending to be me. Besides, I'd hate to think of how she'd keep me out of the way if I were indeed going to be here for the holiday season.

If she could betray my trust so easily, then I could definitely betray hers, even if it was still difficult from a moral stance.

Luckily, unattached, the fox fur would appear more light brown than scarlet. It would be a perfect match, and it helped that she had no idea that I was an animagus. The plan would work perfectly.

…Except for the part when she'd turn into a fox.

I had no idea what would happen. Polyjuice Potion was used for human transformation only, but I could only hope Hermione wasn't left with any lasting effects.

I headed for moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

It was late, but I'd been out late before. And being discovered had only resulted in a detention with Snape, which was never too terrible. A repeat offense would be worse, but my purpose was important. And at least I wouldn't be the only getting in trouble.

Upon entering, I found the three Gryffindors hunched over a bubbling cauldron.

Weasley was the first to notice me.

"What are you doing here?" he gasped.

Even Harry and Hermione, once they redirected their focus to me, looked unsettled at my presence. By protecting Draco from Weasley's curse, had I really damaged our relationship so much? If I had, this wouldn't help.

I sighed and walked over to them.

"You aren't nearly as discreet as you think," I told them, "Anyway, be grateful it was only me who'd overheard you talking about your Polyjuice Potion. You could be getting in a lot of trouble."

"Then why not tell on us?" asked Hermione with more curiosity than disdain.

"Because I _thought_ we were friends. I thought we could trust each other. Harry, I helped you take down the Dark Lord a year ago, and now you plan on stealing my hair to spy on my best friend?"

Harry held my eye contact for a few moments before looking down in shame.

"You're right," Hermione replied diplomatically, "We should have talked to you first. It's just…it does involve Draco, and we know you'd do what you need to in order to protect him."

"Exactly," I responded with a nod, "That's why I'm giving you this."

I pulled the vial out of my pocket and offered it to her, but instead of grabbing it, she hesitated.

"Why?"

"Because in order to protect him, you need to know that he's innocent. He doesn't know anything about the Chamber of Secrets. Neither of us do. We're just as confused and scared as you are."

Still with reluctance, Hermione took the vial from my fingers. Then I turned and began walking towards the door.

"Don't worry," I called over my shoulder so they couldn't see my face that was riddled with guilt, "I'll stay out of your way."

* * *

"Gather round! Gather round!" Lockhart exclaimed.

"Dueling club?" I hissed at Draco as we followed the crowd into a circle around the teacher.

"Who knows? Might be fun," he replied with a shrug, "Besides, you can show off your mad casting skills."

I rolled my eyes and turned to Willow as Lockhart and Snape began a mock duel. It didn't surprise me to see her here. In fact, with everything that was going on, I was relieved.

I wanted her to know how to defend herself against danger.

"How many spells do you know?" I asked.

"Two," she answered, blushing and refusing to meet my eyes, "Well, two that would be useful in a duel. I learned lumos last week."

"You could blind your opponent," I suggested with a snicker.

"Enough demonstrating," Gilderoy announced, "I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me…"

Snape made a beeline to Harry, Hermione, and Weasley.

"Time to split the dream team up, I think," he taunted, "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Mr. Malfoy, come over here and see what you can make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger…you can partner Miss Ashe."

I could tell that she was cautious, but she made her way over to me and offered a warm smile. As the teachers explained the instructions, she shook my hand.

"This should be fun," she whispered, "since we're both so talented."

"Wands at the ready," Lockhart's command interrupted us, "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent. _Only_ to disarm them. We don't want any accidents. One, two, three!"

" _Expelliarmus_!" Hermione called immediately, but I was prepared.

" _Protego_!"

This time, it only deflected the cast without sending it back, but we repeated the display a few times. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see Draco laughing on the floor.

Rictusempra: the tickling charm.

On my right, Snape was watching intently as Hermione and I shot spells back and forth at each other.

" _Expelliarmus_!" I cast.

A red light shot from the tip of my wand, but she'd picked up on my deflection spell.

" _Protego_!"

The light shot back at me. I repeated the protection spell, sending the red glare right back at her. However, she was unprepared for my retaliation, and her wand flew out of her hand.

"Stop!"

It took me a moment to realize that Lockhart had been yelling this for a few minutes to no avail. As Hermione turned to retrieve her wand, Snape went to assist Lockhart.

" _Finite Incantatem_!"

Suddenly, all casting in the room ceased.

Draco stopped laughing and stood up. The room fell deafeningly silent, and the air seemed hard to breathe. It was as if time itself were frozen.

Lockhart was the first to break the stiff silence.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells. Let's have a volunteer pair. Longbottom and Finch-Felchley, how about you?"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," Snape interjected, "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Felchley up to the hospital wing in a match box. How about Potter and Miss Ashe?"

"Miss Ashe?" Lockhart questioned, grimacing at me.

"I have been watching Miss Ashe duel for the past few minutes, and she is already adequate at performing the protection spell. And who better to compliment her than the boy who lived."

Lockhart paused for a moment before forcing his trademark smile.

"Well, I think that's an excellent idea!"

Snape took a step towards me. Then another step. I moved away when he came too close, but he was quicker. In a flash, his mouth was an inch away from my ear.

"Have you ever heard of the spell to conjure a snake?" he hissed.

I glanced at him as well as I could with the small distance, trying to read his facial expression. In fact, I did know the spell. In all the time I spent flipping through my transfiguration textbook, I'd read over the spell quite a few times. Not that I'd ever tried it.

"Yes," I breathed in return.

"Cast it."

"Why?"

"Don't ask questions. I want to test something."

Despite his hate for Harry, I was confident that Snape wouldn't have me cast a spell that would seriously injure anyone. Surely the snakes that came from the spell were friendly? Or at least non-poisonous.

As Snape walked away and I faced Harry, I only hoped that I wouldn't get in trouble for casting such a spell.

"On one," Lockhart yelled, "Three, two, one…go!"

I found it silly to waste time.

" _Serpensortia_!"

I gasped as a huge snake slithered out of my thin wand. Everyone else screamed and nearly tripped over themselves to move out of the way. Even Harry, who barely flinched, looked like he wanted to bolt.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape drawled from behind me, pulling out his wand and striding towards the snake, "I'll get rid of it."

What was he trying to test?

"Allow me," Gilderoy interrupted, pointing his wand at the serpent and uttering a spell I'd never heard before. It didn't even sound like a real spell. It sounded like something that muggles would make up to imitate their own ideas of magic. Like "open sesame" or "abracadabra."

And he succeeded in throwing the snake up in the air and angering it further.

Disoriented, it headed for a Hufflepuff that I didn't recognize. I was mesmerized by the snake, and apparently Harry was too. He looked as if he were in a daze as he stepped towards it. My mouth dropped open as he begun to hiss.

It would have just been odd behavior – and I wouldn't have questioned it too much – except for the fact that the snake responded. It immediately turned towards Harry, looking suddenly pacified.

But the Hufflepuff glared daggers at Harry. He looked angry and close to tears at the same time.

"What are you playing at?" he cried, but he rushed from the hall before he could receive any kind of answer or explanation. The rest of us were a little more patient and eager to find out what had just happened.

Snape stepped forward, making the serpent disappear with an incantation and a subtle flick of his wand. It was almost too easy, but from the smirk on his face, I could tell that his experiment had been a success.

Harry, on the other hand, was out of the room just as quickly as the Hufflepuff, being trailed by Weasley and Hermione. The room was stiff and quiet until Draco's appraising voice rang out.

"Nice cast, Raven."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone! Happy November! Here's an especially long chapter to thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoy :)**

 **Chapter Eleven**

Only weeks later, I found myself pulling on a dress Mother had bought for me in preparation for the Christmas party at Malfoy Manor.

It was dark green and sparkly, but I felt odd in it. While it was very beautiful, I felt I looked too old. It clung to my body and showed almost all of my back. When I told my parents that I felt too revealed in it, my father snapped at me. He told me that Mother had bought it especially for me to wear at the party. He told me it was important that I look mature tonight.

When I looked in the mirror, I didn't look like myself at all. Besides the dress, my mother curled my hair and made me wear a little bit of makeup, which I almost never wore. I was an entirely different person.

After travelling by floo powder to the Malfoy Manor, my father led me to the long table in the dining room where we usually ate. But this was not the same Christmas party I'd grown up with. There was no holiday cheer in the room. Instead, it was darker and much quieter. There was a somber mood instead of a celebratory one.

And everyone was wearing black except for me.

My father sat me in the chair at the head of the table, and I frantically searched for my mother, who was sitting a few chairs away from me. Father took the seat directly to my right.

I met his eyes with mine, wide and frantic.

I'd never seen anyone sit in this chair. I'd always been told it was for the Dark Lord.

"This?" one of my father's death eater friends scoffed, breaking the silence, "This scrap of a girl is meant to fight alongside the Dark Lord and lead us to victory?"

My mouth dropped open.

 _What?_

My father let out a small sigh. I imagined he meant to break the news a little more sensitively. Even Lucius rolled his eyes at the death eater who'd spoken, but there was no undoing his words.

"That is what the prophecy states," Lucius responded, turning to meet my eyes.

"She's small now, but don't underestimate her strength," my father defended.

My eyebrows shot up. He'd never complimented me before.

"She's already an animagus, and she has great magical power," Mother added.

I squirmed under the gaze of all the death eaters as they stared. It was dead silent before another started chuckling.

"I can hardly believe," he explained, "that she is to be the second in command once the Dark Lord returns."

"She is already a very strong leader," Lucius commented, "She simply needs a bit of…guidance."

"The reason you're all here tonight," my father began, standing up and glaring around the room, "is because you believe the Dark Lord is still out there. You have great loyalty towards him, and you trust his decisions. He knows about Ravenfire's destined role, and he believes that it's the absolute best course of action. If you truly trust him as much as you claim, you'll accept Ravenfire as your new leader."

There was a lump forming in my throat as they continued talking. I didn't want to be their new leader. I just wanted to be a child, like I was supposed to be. I didn't even know very many spells yet.

"How would you know what he thinks?" someone challenged, "Even though we believe he's still alive, no one knows where he is."

"There are other methods of communicating with him," Lucius answered.

"Indeed," Father continued, "Now, make your decision now. Will you accept Ravenfire as your new leader until the Dark Lord returns? Or will you turn against your Master's wishes?"

"I accept her," my mother said, acting as though she'd said something bold.

I had to keep myself from snorting in laughter. Of course she would accept me. I was her daughter, but her words had begun a chain reaction. There was suddenly a chorus of voices agreeing with my mother, as if they had a choice. It they defied the Dark Lord, they'd be dead as soon as he returned. So whether I wanted it or not, it was happening.

I was the new leader.

* * *

The dinner after that passed in a blur. Everyone was talking about me, but no one spoke directly to me. It didn't matter. I was too lost in my own thoughts. I hadn't even gotten over the fact that I was sitting in the Dark Lord's chair before dinner ended and I was whisked off to Mr. Malfoy's study.

My father, Lucius, and I were the only three in the room. I had a feeling that this should have happened before they sat me down at the dinner table.

"What's going on?" I whimpered as my father shoved me into one of Lucius' leather chairs sitting near the fireplace.

"Shut up," he spat, but he was rewarded with a disapproving look from Lucius.

"She needs to understand what's happening," Lucius told him firmly before turning his gaze to me.

"How long has this plan been in place? How long have you known that I am to be the Dark Lord's second?"

"It was prophesized a long time ago. But I only just found out many of the details."

"So when were you going to tell me?" I demanded, anger creeping into my tone.

"You ungrateful bitch," my father snapped, stepping between Lucius and I, "This is an honor! You're being placed at the right hand of the Dark Lord. You are in no position to question our decisions!"

"We didn't know when we were going to tell you," Lucius interjected from behind my father, "And you mustn't speak of it to Draco yet."

I held my father's rage-filled eyes for a few silent moments before answering Lucius.

"Fine."

My father stepped away from me and went to the window, staring out into the darkened, show-coated garden.

Lucius continued, "You've already been exposed to information about the Chamber of Secrets, and you know that I gave that book to the Weasley girl…"

I held my breath, waiting for more information.

"Now, the details aren't important," he added, and I let out a sigh, "but that book is something you'll need to protect. Leave it in the custody of the Weasley girl, but make sure Potter does not destroy it or tamper with it in any way."

"Yes, but why can't I know what it does?"

"Stupid girl!" my father shouted, whirling away from the window and stalking back over to me. His face flushed with anger as he leaned over the chair, "Do you think this is a game? It doesn't matter what the book does. If Mr. Malfoy says the details aren't important, then you don't need to know them!"

" _Orion_ ," Lucius barked, "How do you think the Dark Lord would react if he saw how you were treating her?"

In a flash, my father's back was to me as he faced Lucius.

"She needs to learn her place!"

"Her place is higher than yours!"

My father froze in rage and surprise, but he didn't not speak because he had nothing to say.

Lucius was right.

Simply sitting in the Dark Lord's chair made me almost close to the equivalent of him. Not in power, but in status amongst the Death Eaters. However, I didn't truly think this would affect how I was treated. I was still only a child.

I blushed when I remembered fighting the Dark Lord only months prior, but then I felt a different pang of guilt having betrayed the trio with the fox hair. But if this was my destiny, which it clearly was, then I had to be loyal to the Dark Lord and no one else, especially his enemy.

I just didn't know what to do. What was expected of me was so different than what I expected of myself. My feelings contradicted my responsibilities.

"Raven," Lucius said gently, "We don't even know much about the book. We only know how important it is."

I nodded, but I had nothing more to add. I was told what I had to do, and I knew I would be given no more information.

"Leave us," snarled my father, glaring at me over his shoulder.

I didn't even hesitate to stand and rush from the room. Once the meeting downstairs had broken up, the party went on as it normally did every Christmas, and I was eager to rejoin. However, I had made it to the stairs when I crashed into the mousy, wrinkly elf I'd almost forgotten about.

"Dobby," I whispered harshly, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one was around, "I need to talk to you."

Trembling, he followed me down the hall to my bedroom.

When we were both inside the dark and oddly silent room, I shut the door. The air in the room seemed stiff, as if it hadn't been used in years, though it had been used but a few nights ago. Beams of moonlight were the only source of light as they filtered through the window, reflecting off the sparkles on my dress.

"Why were you at Hogwarts?" I asked, turning away from the door to face him.

Dobby looked at me with his wide, fearful eyes.

"D-Dobby wasn't at Hogwarts."

"You'd dare lie to me?" I replied coldly, pulling my wand out of one of the boots Mother had paired with my dress.

As soon as Dobby's eyes fell on it, he burst into tears. I would never hurt Dobby. He'd taken care of me since I was young. He was always the one to help when I'd been beaten. Whether he tended to my wounds himself or rushed to get Lucius, he was always reliable.

And if I wasn't mistaken, he cared about me as well.

Probably because I treated him well…until now.

I just needed to make sure he didn't tell anyone what he knew. What was the extent of his knowledge? Did he overheard that I was destined to be the Dark Lord's second? Who would he tell?

"N-not lying…" he whimpered, backing away towards the far wall, "Please, Miss Ashe. Take pity on Dobby. Dobby was only trying to save Harry Potter."

"From what?"

Though the fear never left Dobby's eyes, he tilted his head in confusion.

"Surely you know how much danger Harry Potter is in?"

"Why would Harry be in danger?" I questioned, lowering my wand slightly.

"It's the book! The Chamber of Secrets! There is more that they aren't telling Miss Ashe."

"They told me they don't know any more."

"But Dobby does, and there's danger at Hogwarts!"

"What did you overhear tonight?"

"N-nothing," he responded weakly.

"Is that right? I order you to tell me the truth."

"Miss Ashe does not own Dobby. Only the Malfoy family can order Dobby to do something," he challenged, lifting his head in defiance.

I raised my wand higher, brandishing it directly in his face. Dobby flinched violently and stepped further away.

"I overheard the discussion at the dining room table," he replied quickly.

A spark of anxiety shot through me, and I lowered my wand. However, with my free hand, I grabbed Dobby by the front of his shirt and yanked his frail body towards me.

"If you tell _anyone_ about what you overheard, I'll tell your Master that you've been secretly communicating with Harry."

Dobby nodded quickly.

"Good. Now leave."

The elf didn't even leave through the door. With a snap of his fingers, he disapparated to another section of the Manor. When he was gone, I left the room and returned to the party.

I found my mother by a bowl of her Elixir to Induce Euphoria punch mixture. She spoke to Narcissa Malfoy, but when she saw me approaching, she turned towards me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, putting a comforting hand on my arm.

"It's a little bit much, if I'm honest."

"I understand. The prophecies that surround us can be scary, especially if you know nothing of them. You're lucky you've found out with enough time."

"Enough time for what?" I asked, peering at her curiously.

She leaned close enough that her lips brushed against strands of hair that had fallen loose from my braid.

"Enough time to change your prophecy."

* * *

When I returned to school, I was still an unregistered animagus.

In light of this new, revealing information, Lucius thought "it would be more prudent" to keep it secret for the time being. It would be better to keep me under the radar. I wasn't sure what a radar was, but I knew it was a muggle phrase.

I had been slightly concerned that Hermione would suspect that I was an animagus once she'd turned into a fox, but luckily she believed me when I told her that I had a pet fox back at home.

Whether she truly trusted me or pretended to, she also bought the story that the hair had been a simple mix up. I'd explained that I hadn't wanted to pull the hair directly from my head, so I'd plucked it from my robes. Unfortunately, I'd grabbed a strand of my familiar's fur instead of my hair. I made sure to apologize profusely.

When I visited her in the hospital wing, she told me I had been right anyway: Draco was not the heir of Slytherin.

It wasn't long before Hermione turned completely human again. This was good because I was beginning to get jealous of the fox ears we shared; I was happy when she was back to normal.

However, I barely had time to notice between schoolwork and trying to find the journal. The stakes were higher now that I knew that the Death Eaters held very high expectations for me. I needed to make sure Ginny Weasley still had the leather-bound book so that I could keep it in her possession. Unfortunately, nothing indicated that she did have it anymore.

It wasn't until Valentine's Day that I finally discovered where it truly was.

Professor Lockhart had turned the holiday into a huge celebration in which a bunch of dwarves ran around in cupid costumes to deliver valentines. For a fleeting moment, I thought about getting Draco one, but then I realized how stupid the entire thing was. Besides, he wouldn't like it. He probably didn't even like me that way. We were only friends. I'd just developed a stupid crush.

However, the deliveries did benefit me.

"Let me go!" the unmistakable voice of Harry Potter rang out on the staircase.

One of the cupids had been delivering him a valentine right before the sound of tearing fabric filled the air. Moments later, the stairs leading to my charms class became littered with books, papers, and other school supplies. I noticed the leather diary resting at Draco's feet mere seconds before he picked it up.

"What's going on here?" he asked, grasping my sleeve with his free hand and pulling me through the crowd. Harry ignored him as he continued to collect his things.

"What's all this commotion?" Percy Weasley asked in his nasally voice, but the dwarf that had been harassing Harry was already sitting on top of him.

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle tried to cover their laughter as Harry was delivered a singing valentine, but my wide eyes were fixed on the diary in Draco's hand. I couldn't let it out of my sight, but then I noticed Ginny, standing across from us in the crowd. Her eyes were also fixed on the diary, looking at it desperately and fearfully.

Once the dwarf had finished singing and scurried away, Harry stood up, blushing. Making sure he had all of his things, his eyes too landed on the journal in Draco's hands.

"Give that back," he growled.

Draco lifted an eyebrow and looked down at the journal, as if he were just realizing that he was holding it.

"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" he jeered, quickly realizing his advantage.

"Hand it over, Malfoy," Percy chimed in.

"When I've had a look," he teased, lifting the book.

I nervously twisted my fingers together. Lucius said I was supposed to guard the diary from Harry and make sure it stayed with Ginny. But what was I supposed to do now with everyone around?

" _Expelliarmus!_ " Harry cast before Draco could open the book.

The journal flew out of his hands and into Ron Weasley's. He tucked it away as Harry heaved his bag onto his shoulder. I gritted my teeth as the two boys fled with the diary, ignoring the glances of the crowd.

At least I knew who had it now.

* * *

I sat on the ground in front of the fireplace, watching the flames lick the sandstone on the inside. I had only just returned from following some Gryffindor named Lavender Brown to her common room. Hiding around the corner, I heard her say the password: Wattlebird.

Easy enough to remember, but I still had to figure out a good time to break in. There couldn't be any Gryffindors in the room, no Slytherins to notice my absence, and no one else watching me enter through the portrait hole.

I was concentrating on the perfect scheme when I heard quiet whimpering coming from the corner of the room. The couch stood between me and the sound so I had to stand up to allow myself to see her. Curled in a ball, Willow sat in the same spot she had when I first met her. As I approached her, she noticed me and jumped violently.

"Oh! Raven, it's just you. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were down here," she explained quietly.

I smiled gently at her.

"What's the matter?" I asked, sitting on the ground facing her.

"I-I was just so excited to be here, but now…I'm terrified. Why is this all happening? Why now?"

I swallowed and doubted my mission with the Death Eaters yet again. Was I helping the monster? Or was I just protecting a book? I wanted to protect my friends who were muggle born, but I also had to keep my loyalty to the Dark Lord. It was expected of me.

"Don't worry about it," I comforted, "You're in Slytherin."

"But I'm a mudblood," she spat.

"If it matters so much, you wouldn't be in Slytherin. You're clearly more worthy than any of us to be here."

"The monster won't see Houses…just blood purity. Besides, maybe the sorting hat just made a mistake."

"I told you before, he doesn't do that."

She looked down. Clearly nothing I was saying was helping her at all. I sighed and touched her arm.

"If the monster gets to you, I'll save you. I promise."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (if that's what you celebrate). I'm sorry this chapter is coming out so late. I realize I say that a lot, but these past two weeks have been really difficult emotionally because of some drama with an individual. However, I also wanted to give you all a heads-up because the end of the semester is rapidly approaching. This means that I will be extremely busy writing papers and studying for final exams. I'll do my best to keep the chapters coming, but please be understand if I can't get them out as regularly as we all would like.**

 **Thanks for your patience! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Chapter Twelve**

During dinner on Friday night, I snuck up to the Gryffindor common room.

Almost everyone was in the Great Hall eating, but I told Draco and the others that I wasn't feeling well. I feigned a headache and nausea. Draco offered to walk me back to the common room, but I refused. My plan was kept a complete secret from everyone, including my best friend.

It was unsettling.

"Wattlebird," I whispered to the portrait.

I lurked in the shadows, making sure that the Fat Lady wouldn't notice the green accents on my robes. I'm not sure she would have stopped me, knowing my history, but she knew she wasn't supposed to let members of different Houses in, even if they did know the password.

When I'd stepped inside the common room, it was almost completely dark except for a fire burning in their fireplace. It was a very cozy environment. It was welcoming, and I felt the urge to take my time.

But I knew my time was limited before someone returned from dinner.

I made a beeline for the stairs and guessed which direction to turn to access the boys' dormitory. Once inside, I could do little more than begin tearing the room apart. I didn't even know which bed was Harry's. I went through every single one of the drawers and trunks resting at the feet of each bed.

The room was already a disaster by the time I had finally reached Harry's trunk. When I opened it, I found that all of his books were buried beneath more of his uniforms. I tore through all of it until I finally reached what I had been searching for.

I couldn't even see the bottom of the trunk through the rest of the rubbish that was in there, but I knew immediately what I had found when my fingers brushed against the leather binding of the book. My hand closed on it, and I yanked it out.

Before thinking twice, I stepped over the giant mess I'd made and fled from the scene.

* * *

"Surely all of you have heard that there's been yet another attack," Snape drawled to our House, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. He froze, turning to look at us all, "A Ravenclaw named Penelope Clearwater and a Gryffindor named Hermione Granger."

I sucked in a breath.

I had heard about the attack, but I had no idea who had been involved. I felt my heart beating faster in my chest. I didn't know Clearwater, but I suddenly felt horrible that I'd not been able to protect Hermione. We weren't as close this year, but she was my friend nonetheless.

If I couldn't protect her, how could I protect Willow?

"The headmaster has issued a new set of rules that must be followed by each and every one of you," he continued, his eyes finding me in particular, "All students must be in their common room by six o' clock every evening. They are not permitted to go anywhere without a teacher present. Quidditch practice and events will be postponed. Prefects will not be patrolling the halls anymore until further notice. Does everyone understand?"

The students around me bobbed their heads in silent agreement as Snape rolled up the piece of paper he'd been reading from. His eyes moved across the sea of Slytherins, looking at him with a mixture of fear and defiance. Many of them felt above these rules since the beast wouldn't hurt us.

After all, none of us were muggle born.

"This is for your own protection," Snape finished.

He lingered for a moment, concern creasing his brow. Then he turned and fled from the room, his cloak billowing behind him.

As soon as he was gone, the room erupted into chatter. There was a mix of fear and concern over the latest attacks, but there was a lot of laughter as well. Students were making fun of Snape for truly thinking his House was in any danger.

I ignored the lot of them, heading towards my own dormitory. Once I'd shut the door between me and my peers, I pulled the diary out from under my pillow. I hadn't yet had a good opportunity to give it to Ginny, but I was waiting. However, my curiosity begged me to investigate it first. I wanted to know why this diary was so special, and what Lucius and my father weren't telling me.

I flipped it open and furrowed my brow when I discovered every page was blank. Studying the parchment, I remembered something that I'd read in a book once. I'd read it a few summers ago. A character had been communicating with her friend via matching notebooks. After writing something, the ink would disappear from one book and reappear in the other. They could talk without anyone knowing the two girls were communication. The book was fictional, but it was worth a try.

I pulled out my quill and ink.

'Hello?' I wrote.

I waited a few moments. True to the novel, the ink disappeared.

'Hello, Ravenfire Ashe,' new ink appeared after mine had faded away.

I smirked triumphantly; I had been correct.

'How do you know my name?' I replied quickly.

'I know all about you…and the prophecy.'

'Who are you?'

'Currently, my name is Tom Marvolo Riddle.'

'What do you mean _currently_?'

He didn't answer. Instead, he wrote:

'While your service is very much appreciated, this book needs to be in the possession of the Weasley girl. Return it to her immediately so that I can carry out my plans.'

'What are your plans?' I scribbled frantically, but the ink faded without a reply, 'Hello?'

Still nothing.

I growled and slammed the book closed.

If this journal wouldn't give me any answers, I'd find them on my own.

* * *

It was pure luck that I knew of a secret passage that led outside.

Mr. Malfoy accidently informed me of it over the summer before my first year. He also told me of several other secret corridors and rooms. He had been reliving fun memories of his past, but I drank in every word, never knowing when I would need to know about these passages.

He told us of one humorous night when his friends had sent some Gryffindor's cat back and forth to each other through the tunnel. He'd explained that there was a small, loose stone in the fireplace in the common room. One would simply have to either go around the fire or make sure no fire was roaring that evening, remove the stone, slip through the wall, and then follow the little tunnel to reach the field between the school and Hagrid's hut.

The only difficult part, for normal people, was fitting through the hole. This is why it was only useful for tormenting cats. That was the very reason I hadn't tried it before, but now there was a way.

Silently, I padded around the fire that matched my burning fur. I pushed the stone away with my head and as soon as I slipped through the jagged hole, I could feel the warm soil beneath all four paws. The hole was hidden behind the flames, so I wasn't concerned about anyone noticing it if I neglected to replace the stone. So I continued through the passageway until I reach a sea of grass and the cool, nighttime air.

My original plan was to sneak around the halls in my fox form in search of anything suspicious, but I froze in the field when I saw two figures making their way towards Hagrid's hut. One was clearly Dumbledore by the silhouette of his robes, hat, and beard. But the other was unfamiliar, though he seemed just as old as Dumbledore.

I crept closer to the path, trying to overhear what they were talking about, but they were too far away from me to hear anything of importance.

I paused, deciding what to do. I could continue with my original plan. But something important was definitely going on in the hut. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the leather boots coming up from behind me until they stopped next to me.

"Raven?"

I jumped and turned around at the voice, but once I'd noticed who it was, I emitted an excited bark.

Daddy!

"Shh!" Lucius scolded harshly, "What the hell are you doing out here? You're supposed to stay in your common room. What if the beast takes you by accident thinking you're food? Or what if you become petrified like the others?"

I stared back silently, unable to speak in my fox form. One of my ears flopped over as I tilted my head innocently, but I really was filled with guilt. I didn't mean to make him so angry with me, but I needed to find out what was going on. I needed to be able to protect my friends.

Lucius sighed and walked past me, towards the hut. I watched him go, assuming that he thought I would immediately return to the common room. However, after a few steps, he turned around expectantly and beckoned me to follow him. My ears perked up as I pranced along behind him until we reached Hagrid's door. Without making a sound, Mr. Malfoy pointed to a pile of logs next to the stone hut. Trotting to the spot where he indicated, I pressed my small ear up against the cold wall, ready to eavesdrop.

He gave me a warning look before knocking on the door to the hut.

"Already here, Fudge?" I heard Lucius say once the door opened before he disappeared from my view, "Good."

"What are you doing here?" Hagrid bellowed angrily, "Get outta my house!"

Then the voices dropped so low that I could barely hear them for a few moments. They would crescendo at various intervals, but I struggled to hear the entire conversation.

"Time for you to step aside…" Lucius was saying, "…no muggle borns left…suspension of the headmaster…Dumbledore failed to prevent these attacks…"

My heart lurched. Mr. Malfoy was taking away Dumbledore? At first, I didn't think that was a very wise idea, but then I realized he was only doing it for the benefit of me and the mission.

My involvement especially would be a lot easier without Dumbledore breathing down my neck. However, even Lucius must have realized that everyone was in more danger without Dumbledore…including me and Draco. I wished that there was a way to keep everyone safe while still carrying out what the Death Eaters expected.

"Yeh can't take Dumbledore!" Hagrid boomed, making my little furry body flinch, "Take him away and the muggle borns don't stand a chance! There'll be killin's next!"

I sucked in a breath. Not Willow. I wouldn't let it happen no matter what! Willow was my top priority. I would even forgo my mission if I had to. I made a promise to her, and I refused to let harm come to her.

It was only moments until the rickety, wooden door opened again and Lucius strode out. He glanced over at me again out of the corner of his eye while he waited for Hagrid. I stared back silently through wide eyes.

"If anyone were looking to find out some stuff," Hagrid muttered from inside the shack, "all they'd have ter do would be to follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right! That's all I'm sayin'."

My ears flicked back as I watched all four of them leave the hut. As much as I wanted to run alongside them – both to hear what else there was to say and to be near Lucius – I knew that would be stupid. Surely Fudge would make the connection when Lucius took me to get registered.

So, I continued lurking while I watched the figures disappear into the castle.

I was about to come out of my cover when I heard another sound from the door. Frozen, I hid in the shadows of the log stack while Harry and Weasley stepped onto the grassy field, clutching the invisibility cloak.

"Spiders!" Weasley was blanching as the pair made their way past me, towards the Forbidden Forest, "Why did it have to be spiders? Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?"

I waited until I was sure they were gone, following after the trail of arachnids, before I emerged from my hiding place. Once I did, I took off running in the direction of the castle.

Part of me wanted to return to the common room and either go to bed or spread the news about Dumbledore and Hagrid, but something else told me to continue with my original plan. So I resumed my quiet walk throughout the corridors.

Even though Dumbledore was now gone, I didn't want any of the other teachers to find me wandering around the halls, especially looking like a fox. Maybe no one would think anything of a fox roaming around the school, but I was certain that Professor McGonagall would know a fellow animagus when she saw one.

I didn't know where I was headed or what I was looking for. I just knew that if something seemed out of the ordinary, I would know about it. If I could figure out what was causing so many people to become petrified, maybe I could help stop it…or something. I was young, but I wanted to be helpful.

And if I couldn't help the people of Hogwarts, I could probably find something that could help the Death Eaters.

I turned down a corridor that was particularly dark, but a large window allowed a stream of moonlight to come through. It only lit one part of the hallway, but it was enough for me to see a figure sitting on the window seat.

His back was to me, but he had slicked, black hair and broad shoulders. He wasn't wearing his Hogwarts robes, but he was wearing a button-down shirt with a tie loose around his neck.

As I got closer to him, it looked like he was writing in a journal. Then he paused and crossed something out, shaking his head. As he rewrote a line, I crept closer, not realizing how close I was until I stepped out from my cover of darkness.

Maybe he could hear my breath, or maybe he caught me out of the corner of his eye, but he froze and stiffened. Then he slowly looked over his shoulder. When his blue eyes landed on me, he breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading over his face.

"Hi there," he whispered.

His voice was smooth and welcoming. It made me want to come closer to him.

But I couldn't. I couldn't risk anything. I knew nothing about this strange man sitting in the middle of the hallway writing. I'd never seen him before, and I therefore couldn't trust him.

Even if his eyes were beautiful and his smile was warm.

But he scared me. There was something about him that made me feel...strange.

I didn't like it.

So I took a few steps backwards until I was once again in the darkness.

Then I took off running all the way back outside to the mouth of the tunnel. I slipped back down the dusty hole before emerging in the fireplace. I'd barely slowed down enough to avoid being licked by the flames, but when I made it past the fire, I collapsed in the middle of the rug, simultaneously turning back into a human.

For a few silent moments, I lay there panting and trembling from the encounter.

"Where have you been?"

The voice made me jump, and for a moment, I expected the strange boy to be sitting on the couch, staring at me expectantly. But when I looked up, it was only Draco.

"Out," I whispered, still catching my breath. What was it about that man that had scared me so much?

"Out where?" Draco demanded, glaring at me, "And what's your problem?"

"Dumbledore is gone," I managed, "And Hagrid. They've both been taken away from the school. Your father and Fudge were here just a bit ago."

"What do you mean? And why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Draco leaned forward, interest and concern replacing his annoyance – or even anger – at me.

"I left because I wanted to find out more about the Chamber of Secrets. But then I saw your father and the Minister walking towards Hagrid's hut. I followed and eavesdropped on them."

"They think Hagrid, the great oaf, had something to do with this? He may be stupid, but he's harmless! That's like saying you're involved with this 'Chamber of Secrets' business."

"Yes," I laughed weakly, "Unfathomable."

"So why are you so frightened?"

"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully. The man I saw was likely just a student, but something still confused me about him. He seemed all too familiar, as if there was a connection between us already. Part of me wanted to return to him. To be with him. But I knew that was unwise.

Regardless, something told me not to speak of him to Draco.

"I'm sure it's nothing. I just…thought I saw something in the halls. I doubt it was anything dangerous. Probably just a trick of the light. Anyway, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"I suppose, but when Willow told me you weren't in your room, I got worried. I don't want anything to happen to you, Raven."

"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," I retorted.

"Well…let's hope so."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Finding a good time to give Ginny back the diary was difficult with the teachers around us all the time.

Simply giving a journal to another person was not suspicious in itself. But if it was important enough, I was certain that Dumbledore might recognize it if he were to see it. Besides, what business had I giving a journal to a Gryffindor girl that I'd never even spoken to?

The last thing I expected was for her to approach me first.

During my afternoon off, I sat alone in the Great Hall, working on my potions assignment. Many of the teachers were teaching, and the ones who weren't were patrolling the hallways. There were maybe two professors prowling around the Great Hall, but they hardly ever walked past the Slytherin tables. Even Dumbledore wasn't in sight. But because I was working so hard on my paper, it took me a few minutes to notice the mousy red-head standing over me.

"Ravenfire Ashe?" she muttered.

I flinched, looking up at her. Once I'd recovered, I nodded.

"H-he says you have the book," she whimpered.

"Who says?" I asked, but she didn't answer. In fact, if she'd heard me speak at all, she showed no indication.

"I thought by getting rid of it, I'd be getting rid of him, but…" she trailed off.

Over her shoulder, I could have sworn that I saw a tall, male silhouette, but I blinked once and he was gone. For a moment, I thought that he might have been the boy I saw writing in the hallway a few nights prior, but I realized that couldn't have been it.

The mysterious shadow didn't fill me with the strange feeling that the boy did.

True, it filled me with an intense kind of dread, but the boy in the hallway was different. There was something eerily familiar about him. The fear that had filled me then was less superficial. It was deeper. As though it wasn't fear at all but simply another emotion that I needed to flee from.

"Anyway, he says you've been wanting to give it back," Ginny continued, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I-I have," I replied slowly, pulling my bag onto the bench from next to my leg.

I rustled around inside the bag, looking for the book. When my fingers brushed against it, I pulled it out and offered it to her. For a second, she simply stood, staring at it, though she didn't even want to take it.

But then in a flash of motion, she snatched it away eagerly.

I was expecting her to return to her own seat with the rest of the Gryffindors or to run off to class. I certainly didn't expect her to remain standing in front of me, leisurely flipping through the book, as if looking for a secret message or damage I'd done.

She even seemed to forget that I was sitting across the table from her.

"Who is _he_?" I asked again, leaning forward.

Her head snapped up and the book closed with a soft _thump_ sound. Her eyes locked with mine. We stared at each other for a few silent moments before she turned on her heel and walked away with the journal in her grasp.

* * *

Nobody was happy about the final exams.

In light of the previous events, none of the students truly thought final exams would still be given. Most of us were under the impression that we'd had enough stress to deal with thinking of the Chamber of Secrets. Surely the staff didn't think we should be expected to handle anymore.

But the lot of us were incorrect, and finals were announced a week beforehand, giving us all only seven days to get all of our studying done. This caused a further decrease in student morale.

It was impossible to find a quiet place to study without being bombarded with complaints or gossip about the happenings of Hogwarts. My only solace was when I was alone. Most of the time, I couldn't even stand to be with Draco, who seemed to live off of drama. Now, with plenty, he did nothing except talk about it.

So on the Saturday before finals, I sat off in a far corner of the school near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with a Charms textbook opened in my lap. There was a bench against the wall, and while it wasn't the most comfortable, it was paradise compared to the Slytherin common room.

I knew I wasn't allowed to be anywhere that the teachers didn't patrol – so basically the common room, the library, or the Great Hall – but I couldn't stand to be around any other students.

This hallway was safe because even Filch hardly ventured down this way after what happened to Mrs. Norris. He spent most of his time guarding her petrified body. And when he did go on rounds, the last place he would want to be found alone would be the place where he thought his cat had died.

This made my bench the ideal place to study.

That is…until I heard a bloodcurdling scream pierce the air.

I jumped and looked up from the book. The scream had come from nearby, and the noise that followed was that of feet scuffling down the corridor. Whoever had screamed was coming my way.

Without hesitation, I ducked behind the bench I was sitting on. I silently set the textbook on the ground and concealed myself in the tight space between the bench and the wall, hoping no teacher would come to investigate the noise.

But it was no teacher that rounded the corner.

"Mudblood!" barked a harsh voice as two first years came into view.

One I recognized immediately as Ginny Weasley. The other, however, was difficult to identify with her matted, brown hair falling into her face as the Weasley girl yanked it. The free strands shielded her face from view, but the other girl also was looking the opposite direction.

Even as Ginny pulled out a knife, I couldn't see who the other girl was.

"Please don't," the girl whimpered, but Ginny didn't listen.

There was no hesitation or reluctance before she cut open the girl's leg, dripping crimson onto her robes. The other girl threw her head back in pain and screeched loudly. The scream was different than anything I'd ever heard. It seemed to find its way into my veins and heart. I burned with the same desperation, fear, and pain that the girl must have felt.

But then, as her head tilted back, the strands of hair moved away from her face.

"Willow," I hissed, my throat closing in horror, "No."

Ginny busied herself writing another message on the wall with Willow's blood. Every few moments, she returned to Willow's gushing wound to gather more blood on the tips of her fingers to add another couple letters to the wall. I had no idea what Ginny was capable of or why she would do something like this, but it scared me. Still, I'd made a promise to Willow.

I was preparing to emerge from my hiding place when I heard a new voice.

"Shut up, mudblood," the unmistakably male voice said.

Then he walked into view.

This boy was older and unfamiliar to me. But he was also in Slytherin robes. He watched Willow with a sadistic smirk while Ginny finished writing her message: Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

Willow's chocolaty locks fell over her shoulders as she slumped forward, exhausted by the screaming and the pain of Ginny sweeping blood out of her open wound. I watched as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

But it didn't matter.

Apparently, my location was no secret.

"Your friend is unconscious, Ravenfire," the boy said, "You can come out now."

I paused, wondering if I would still be able to pretend that I wasn't there. But that was silly. I'd only be putting myself in more danger if I tried to deceive this strange boy. So I stepped out from behind the bench and faced him. I held my wand firmly while I glared at the both of them. As I glared, my mind raced to figure out who he was and why I hadn't seen him before if he was in Slytherin. Of course I didn't know everyone in my House, but I thought that I'd at least be able to recognize everyone.

"You can't take her," I growled.

He shook his head as Ginny stared at me with a blank expression.

She'd been acting weird when she came to retrieve the journal from me, but this was even stranger. Was it possible that she wasn't even in control of her own actions? A long time ago, I'd stumbled upon possession in one of Lucius' books, but I'd always thought of it as a myth or something. Even if it was possible, the magic was extremely dark.

Who was this boy if he was possessing her?

"And you'll stop us?"

"Yes. I won't let you take Willow."

"That is truly unfortunate because you need to be on my side. You need to be protecting this."

He held up the journal.

"I'd hate to see your love of a little mudblood come between you and your destiny."

"How do you know anything about my destiny?"

The boy tilted his head with a condescending smirk but didn't answer me.

"I can do both. I'm sure. I can keep the book and Willow from harm."

"The only way to do that is to come with us."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Chamber of Secrets, of course."

"I'm not sure…"

"Well, I'm not sure you have much of a choice. That is, if you want to protect your precious mudblood friend."

He gave a small nod to Ginny who grabbed Willow by her ankles and began dragging her towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"No!"

I moved to run after her, but the boy intercepted me by holding out his arm. I hadn't even made contact with it, but I jumped back as if I'd been shocked. The boy followed me as I stepped backwards, encroaching on my personal space with every step.

"Do you not realize who I am?" he asked vehemently, though still smirking.

"I don't care who you are. You can't take her!"

"You're such a stupid girl."

It was so clearly an insult, but it wasn't said with nearly the amount of malice or even anger that I'd expected. It was said almost gently. Perhaps sympathetically. As if he pitied me for being as stupid as he thought I was.

He was mocking me.

I raised my wand, but he was faster.

The boy raised two fingers to my temple before everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

**Happy holidays everyone! I hope you're all having a great winter season. Now that my exams are over, I'll be posting more regularly. Also, this fanfiction will be coming to an end within the next couple chapters. Once it's over, keep your eye out for Ravenfire Ashe: Third Year!**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

My eyes flickered open to a dimly lit room.

I was lying on wet tiles that were glassy and dark green. In fact, the entire room seemed tinted somewhere between black and green, not unlike the Slytherin common room, but I knew that was not where I was. As I sat up slowly, I noticed that my hair and robes were damp. Glancing around, I saw that the flooring I was laying on was surrounded by water that lapped onto the stones.

The hall was enormous, or so I assumed. I couldn't tell how big it truly was because my eyes met a wall of darkness before it met the perimeter of the chamber. Drops of water echoed endlessly, and I felt vulnerable, like I was the prey waiting for the predator to attack.

Then I saw two bodies lying beside me. When my eyes landed on Ginny, then Willow, everything came flooding back to me. Immediately, I reached for my wand, which should have been tucked into the waistband of my skirt, hidden by the folds of my robes.

But it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" a voice echoed from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at the boy as he dangled my wand in front of me. I snatched for it, naively thinking that I would be able to retrieve it, but he pulled it away at the last moment, chuckling.

"Give it to me," I snapped, getting to my feet and facing him fully, "And the journal too. Where is it?"

The boy looked thoughtfully at my wand, as if truly considering handing it back to me. Then he shook his head with a smirk.

"No, I think I'll hold on to this for a little while longer. I wouldn't want you trying to fight me, would I? And as for the journal…well, it's in good hands. Better hands than yours, anyway."

"You have no idea the gravity of my situation. The Death Eaters themselves are expecting me to keep the book safe for the Dark Lord."

As soon as the words passed my lips, I wished that I could have taken them back. I didn't even know this boy. What if he was going to tell someone that I was working with the Death Eaters? What if he was going to tell someone we were trying to bring back the Dark Lord? I hadn't meant to tell this strange boy my secret, but he didn't even looked phased by the information.

"And who exactly do you think I am?" he purred, creeping ever closer to me.

"It doesn't matter," I retorted, sticking up my chin in defiance, "You're nothing."

Before I could say anything more, the boy's hand closed around my neck. In an instant, he was pressing me up against a giant, granite statue that stood tall in the middle of the room. He glared daggers at me before slowly lowering his lips to my ear.

"I. Am. Lord. Voldemort," he hissed as I felt his warm breath cascade over my cheek.

He had to be lying. But what if he wasn't?

"No, you're not," I spoke so cautiously that it sounded like a question, "The Dark Lord is dead, and he's older than, what, fifteen?"

He loosened his grip around my neck, and I pulled back enough to look at him without crossing my eyes.

"I am as I was when I was a student at Hogwarts. I am but a past projection of my current self. I'm a memory. But nevertheless, I am the Dark Lord."

"I'm still not sure I believe you. The kind of magic you're speaking of…I know nothing of it. How do I even know if it exists? I just don't understand."

The boy relaxed and smirked at me, and I couldn't help but feel that it was a pitying smirk. As if he thought my lack of knowledge was adorably pathetic.

"You will…in good time. I will explain everything when the boy joins us."

"The boy?"

"Harry Potter."

My heart skipped a beat. I didn't want Harry to join us. I didn't want him anywhere near the Dark Lord, no matter how old or real he was. There was nothing safe about this situation, and the less people dragged into it, the better I would feel.

The Dark Lord seemed to think that I was on his side. Was I? I didn't know, but he seemed to. I would be able to negotiate with him, especially if I were to be his second when he came back officially. I could get me, Willow, and Ginny out of this situation remotely unharmed. If Harry were to join us, I didn't know what would happen.

"And how do you know he will?"

The Dark Lord didn't respond to me immediately. Instead, he paused, listening to something I couldn't hear.

"Ah, yes. They have already found the Chamber."

"They?"

"Potter, the Weasley boy, and…another."

I should have known Harry wouldn't have done this by himself.

"Can I trust you?" he asked, turning is eyes back onto me.

"With what?"

"It's not important. I need to know if I can trust you?" he asked, desperation flashing in his eyes.

"You can," I lied.

When he handed my wand back to me, I lifted an eyebrow in surprise. That was not what I had been expecting, but before I could say anything, he turned his back to me and began moving away.

"But…" I started, gripping my wand tightly and watching as he froze mid-stride, "I will not allow you to hurt Willow."

The boy slowly turned to face me, his eyes piercing through me like knives. His expression warned me not to defy him further, but I remained unmoving. On the inside, I was terrified, but I worked hard to keep my outward composure. I would not allow him to hurt my friend.

"Excuse me? You'll not _allow_ me?" he responded.

"I will remain loyal to you," I answered, my voice sounding surprisingly even and confident when I felt as though I was about to implode, "but I made a promise to her. She's my priority, and if you try to hurt her…I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

He approached me again, raising his index finger as if he were about to scold a child.

"You…" he hissed, but stopped abruptly.

We sat in an awkward silence for a moment as he listened again. I wished that I could hear what he did, but the only sound I noticed was our breathing echoing through the Chamber and the thundering of my heart in my chest.

"Someone's coming," he told me as he shoved me behind a nearby pillar so roughly that I almost slipped on the slick stones, "Stay here until I tell you otherwise."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he shot me a look that silenced me immediately. Frowning, I sunk into the shadows behind the pillar as he leaned against the other side. Then the slam of metal on metal echoed through the Chamber. The loudness of it shook the floor, and it was followed by the soft sound of feet slapping on the wet ground, coming closer and closer.

At least I only heard one pair of running feet. Perhaps Harry had convinced Weasley and the other to stay outside in case of an emergency.

"Ginny!" Harry Potter cried out suddenly. His voice was unmistakable as he begged her to wake up, terrified that she was dead. "Ginny, please!"

"She won't wake," the Dark Lord interrupted, and I could only imagine him dramatically stepping out from the shadows.

"W-who are you?" asked Harry.

But when the Dark Lord replied, his voice dropped so low that I could barely hear him. I could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation and the occasional echoed consonant. I peeked around the pillar just as the boy bent down to retrieve the wand that Harry must have cast aside when he reached Ginny.

"It won't come until it's called," the Dark Lord was saying, speaker louder now, perhaps for my benefit.

"Look, give me my wand," Harry replied, "I might need it."

"You won't be needing it."

The conversation grew increasingly quiet again until the Dark Lord raised his voice, "We're going to talk _now_!"

I flinched and twisted my fingers around my wand nervously. What would happen to Harry? I needed to protect him too, right? I remained behind the pillar, but I gripped my wand tightly, ready to jump into action if the Dark Lord tried to hurt anyone.

I was just as confused as Harry probably was. Everything that'd happened over the past year only jumbled my mind further. Now, half of that confusion was being explained, leaving me filled with shock and more confusion. Regardless, fear and adrenaline overtook any other emotion.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Potter?" I heard the Dark Lord say, "Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets."

I had been able to jump to that conclusion, but I hadn't known how she could have until now. The Weasley girl was a sweet, kind Gryffindor. She wouldn't hurt a fly if given a choice. The only way she could have pulled this off would be if she were possessed. I knew very little about possession. All I knew was from movies and stories about demons and exorcisms. However the Dark Lord ad possessed Ginny, I knew it had to have been with extremely dark magic, and that was if possession was even possible to do.

"Haven't I already told you, Potter?" he drawled, "Killing mudbloods doesn't really matter to me anymore. For many months now, my new target has been you."

I peeked around the pillar and raised my wand at the Dark Lord. I felt like a traitor for doing so, but I would have felt even more like a traitor if I'd sat by and did nothing while my friends were threatened. If the Dark Lord tried to hurt anyone, I could easily cast some kind of stunning spell to save them.

If he was only a memory, he probably wasn't as strong as he would be if he were alive. Besides, I must be able to hurt him with my wand if he took it from me originally. And if he took Harry's wand.

"Dumbledore saw through you while you were at school, and he still frightens you now," Harry said.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!"

"He's not as gone as you might think!"

As soon as Harry's words had finished vibrating off the walls, a new sound invaded the room. It sounded like an unsettling, mysterious song filled with minor intervals and accidentals. It grew louder and louder until I had to cover my ears. Suddenly, a bright, red bird cut through the turquoise air.

It dropped a worn-out piece of fabric at Harry's feet and landed on his shoulder. Finally, the bird's song ceased, allowing me to uncover my ears. The heavy silence was broken by the Dark Lord's voice.

"That's a Phoenix, and that is the old school sorting hat," he observed, glancing at the pile of burlap on the ground. Laughing, he continued, "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender? A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now? Perhaps you'd feel safer with your friend, Miss Ashe?"

At the last of his words, the Dark Lord pointed Harry's wand in my directions. Harry's eyes shot up from the hat lying on the ground and to the pillar I was standing behind as an invisible force pulled me from the shadows as if I were a puppet. I struggled against the spell, but it was useless. I was even powerless to raise my own wand.

The Dark Lord moved my body to his will, like he was my puppet master.

"She helped you defeat me a year ago, but I think you'll find that her loyalty has shifted quite a bit, wouldn't you say? _Totam_ _Vulp_ i!"

With a whimper, my body was forced to change into a fox. I stood on four legs, my bushy tail resting on the wet ground. Harry's eyes widened with shock and betrayal. I knew he was thinking of the fox fur that I'd given to Hermione, claiming it was my familiar's fur. Even if he didn't think that I'd purposefully given Hermione the animal fur, he knew that I had lied about it. I wanted to explain, but all that came out of my mouth was a strangled bark.

But regardless of what Harry was feeling, he narrowed his eyes at the Dark Lord.

"Wait, if she's on your side, why are you giving away her secrets?"

"I am simply making it clear who she belongs to now."

"I trust Raven," challenged Harry, "She defeated you with me last year, and she can do it again."

For a moment, the Dark Lord looked angry. Furious, even.

But his eyes relaxed within a second, and he gave Harry an evil smirk. My heart swelled at Harry's words, but it was quickly overcome with guilt. For someone I worked so hard to trick, he had a lot of faith in me. Or a lot of loyalty towards me anyway. I only wished that I had that undying loyalty towards him. As I tried to deal with my conflicting emotions, the Dark Lord lifted his curse on me.

Taking back control of my own body, I turned myself back into a human again just as the Dark Lord turned to face the stone head along the closer wall of the chamber. He began hissing so naturally that he was clearly communicating with something, as Harry did during the dueling club. It was, if I remembered, parseltongue. As the granite mouth began to open, the Dark Lord flicked his wand at me, forcing my eyes to shut.

"Let's see how well you can defeat the basilisk together."


	15. Chapter 15

"Harry, run!" I screamed.

Regardless of the point the Dark Lord was trying to make, I knew that he didn't force my eyes closed to impair me. Through all of his taunting, I knew that he didn't want me dead…at least not if he thought that I would one day become his second.

Which could only mean that I would be in danger if my eyes were open.

"And close your eyes!" I added to Harry as I listened to the patter of his shoes moving further away from me.

The sound of running was followed by loud screeching and hissing. It was a terrible sound that made me clasp my hands over my ears, taking away a second one of my senses. Though it was muffled, I could hear the Dark Lord's cackle coming from next to me. I had no idea what was happening, but my eyes itched to be open.

My curiousity was what ultimately pried open one of my eyes.

I gasped and jumped back when I saw the giant, scaly wall that was the enormous snake. It slithered past me, luckily already far enough so that I couldn't meet its eyes, for as soon as I saw the creature, I knew that it was the Basilisk.

If I were to look directly in his eyes, I would be petrified just like Hermione.

Then I noticed a bright red bird circling the Basilisk's head. It was the Phoenix that had flown to Harry's rescue earlier with the Sorting Hat. With an earth-shattering screech, the bird dove forward with its talons and tore at the serpent's retinas, blinding him but more importantly, keeping him from petrifying us.

"NO!" the Dark Lord shouted, his laughter dying away abruptly, "Your bird may have blinded the basilisk, Harry Potter, but it can still smell you."

The giant snake writhed around wildly, making a terrible sound in its agony. It's thick, heavy tail came flying my direction, but before it could ram into me, the Dark Lord shoved me to the ground. I grunted as the damp coldness of the floor met my body, but the Basilisk tail soared harmlessly over me.

I scrambled to my feet as Harry doubled back towards the statue at the front of the Chamber. For a long moment, I did nothing but stand and watch him run from the Basilisk, but then movement caught my attention from the corner of my eye.

Willow was beginning to stir.

Then the entire world seemed to move in slow motion.

Without hesitation, I began to charge towards Willow, ignoring the Basilisk that was curved around her. I felt the Dark Lord try to grasp my robes in order to keep me from running into danger, but he was too late, and the fabric slipped through his fingers. He shouted at me, but I didn't listen.

Harry, knowing that the Basilisk could hear him, tried to be as silent as possible as he watched the sword of Gryffindor materialize within the Sorting Hat. I noticed the glinting handle in midstride as Harry pulled it out of the Hat.

But what the Basilisk heard – apart from me approaching and the Dark Lord screaming for me to come back – was the rustling of Willow's clothing as she sat up.

It turned around slowly and prepared to strike just as I threw myself over Willow.

"Nooo!" the Dark Lord roared, but he'd not been the only one to cry out.

Harry had been yelling too as he dashed towards me. When he reached me and Willow on the ground, he turned towards the Basilisk, standing bravely over us. As the serpent lunged, the sword that Harry wielded cut through the roof of its mouth.

Blood spattered as the Basilisk shrieked in pain, covering Harry and I.

Then it fell to the ground, lifeless.

For a long moment, the entire Chamber was so silent that I could hear the breath of the Dark Lord, standing across the room. In fact, I felt like I could hear the breath of the room itself.

Then I felt Willow's head move to peak under my arm

"Oh my god," she breathed, clutching my robes in fear. Then her voice rose to a shout, "Oh my god!"

"Willow, it's okay. We're safe now."

But she was already standing and taking backward steps away from the dead snake, her face a picture of terror.

"What is going on, Raven?" she sobbed, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'll explain everything later," I promised, "But for now, you just need to calm down."

"Calm down?" she yelled, "I almost died. _You_ almost died!"

I opened my mouth to respond when Harry, still standing over me, let out a pained grunt and fell to the ground beside me. My eyes shot over my shoulder towards him as he let one of the curved Basilisk fangs drop to the ground. Then I caught a glimpse of his blood-soaked arm.

Instead of getting Willow or me, the snake had gotten Harry.

I glanced back at Willow to make sure that she wouldn't try to run away and get herself into even more danger. But she was frozen, staring slack-jawed at Harry. So I pulled him closer to me and rested his head in my lap, pushing sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes. Part of me wanted to tell Willow not to look, but what was the point? She'd already seen enough that would leave her traumatized

"You're dead, Harry Potter," the Dark Lord taunted as he stood above us, "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Willow and I watched as the fiery bird landed next to Harry. We saw tears slide from the corners of his eyes, down its cheeks, and onto Harry's wound. When they sizzled on his skin, Harry grimaced, looking pained. But then the gash disappeared with the steam that rose from the tears.

"Of course," Willow breathed, her eyes wide with relief and residual fear, "I remember this from a novel I read once back…home. Phoenix tears have healing powers!"

The smirk slid from the Dark Lord's face and was replaced by look both furious and panicked.

"Get away, bird!" he shouted, swatting at it. But it was too late. Harry was suddenly looking more alert as he sat up, and any sign of the wound was gone.

"It makes no difference," the Dark Lord said, regaining his composure as the bird flew away into the darkness of the Chamber, "In fact, I prefer it this way. Just between you and me, Harry Potter. I'll be the one to defeat you, not a magical beast."

As he raised his wand, I eyed the Basilisk fang that Harry had dropped earlier. It had rolled closer to Ginny, and I could see the journal sticking out of her robes. Suddenly, I had an idea. I had no idea if it would work, but it was worth a try.

"Raven, get out of the way," the Dark Lord hissed, and to the shock of Harry and Willow, I scrambled over to Ginny, out of the way.

The Dark Lord couldn't see me, but the other two could. At first, they were surprised that I hadn't stayed by Harry's side to fight, especially since I still had my wand. Though I'm sure there was relief preset as well, they wouldn't have thought that I would run away from a fight.

But as I pulled the book from Ginny's robes, I saw understanding dawn on their faces.

"Avada…" the Dark Lord began but stopped abruptly with a choking sound as I stabbed the fang's tip into the cover of the journal. Ink squirted and oozed all over me and my hands, but I ignored it. The Dark Lord yelled in pain as he turned to face me. He looked at me furiously.

"Raven," he whimpered in a moment of vulnerability. His eyes were pleading with me, but he also looked shocked that I had turned against him. But then a smile spread over his face, "On second thought, this is good. I'm happy to see that you're not afraid of murdering a man."

"Not a man…a monster," I shot back.

"Regardless," he continued as if I'd said nothing. His voice was tight and clipped, and his hand remained on his chest, showing that he was still in pain, "You'll regret this, Raven. You'll regret defying me. Just wait until I come back!"

I glared coldly in return as I drove the fang deeper through the pages. His smirk disappeared and his eyes screwed shut in agony. With a shout, he fell to the damp floor. He writhed and screamed, but I forced myself to ignore the bile that I could taste from the back of my throat. What would the Death Eaters say? What about Lucius? What about my father? I couldn't care. If I didn't do this, he would kill Harry and Ginny. And Willow would probably be next if he knew that she was muggle-born, which he obviously did or she wouldn't be here. I drove the fang deeper and deeper until the Dark Lord vanished with a bright light.

No one spoke, but the Dark Lord's screams echoed throughout the Chamber.

"Harry," Ginny whispered, sitting up behind me.

Harry had crawled over to her within a second, talking and offering words of comfort. As he did, I pulled myself to my feet, dropping the diary and Basilisk fang. I walked over to the other first year, who was still trembling near the serpent's corpse. She was frightened to the point where she could no longer talk, but that didn't stop the stream of comforting words from tumbling out of my mouth.

"It's alright," I told her, grasping for her arm, "You're okay. I'm so sorry! You're okay. You're okay, right? Yes, of course you are. Everything will be fine. I'm going to buy you so many chocolate frogs. Oh, I'm so glad you didn't get hurt."

"You…" she spoke finally, cutting me off, "You saved my life. You could have died trying to save me."

I stared at her, unsure of how to respond. She spoke of us dying earlier, but it was when she was still angry. Perhaps she wasn't angry anymore? Or maybe she'd exhausted herself. But I only had a moment to think before she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in the crook of my neck.

"Thank you!" she sobbed, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"I made you a promise," I told her as she cried into my hair, "I'll always do what it takes to keep you safe."

"At the expense of your life?" she questioned, stepping back enough to look at my face.

"Of course."

"Raven," Harry's voice interrupted as he and Ginny stepped closer.

Her face was streaked with tears as well, but she was grinning and holding onto Harry's arm. She was covered in dirt and blood, just as Harry was. I had no blood on me, but my hands were covered in dried ink. Willow, on the other hand, still had a gaping, bleeding wound on her calf.

"Fawkes is waiting," Harry continued, pointing to the Phoenix that was sitting at the entrance to the chamber.

"Can you walk?" I asked Willow, and she nodded.

I pulled her to her feet, and watched her wince when she put weight on her leg, but she nodded to tell me that she would be able to continue walking. So we followed Harry and the sniffling Weasley girl to the bird.

As Fawkes glided beside us, we walked down the labyrinth of stone that only Harry had been conscious to see on the way down to the Chamber of Secrets. It wasn't a long walk before we reached a pile of rocks. The stones shifted every few moments, and I pulled out my wand, raising it in case another beast burst through the wall of rocks. But then I heard Ron Weasley's muffled voice.

"Ginny!" he yelled.

"Where's Lockhart?" Harry called back.

I shot a look at Harry.

"You brought _him_ along?"

"Yes. Don't worry, big mistake. Learned my lesson. I'll tell you about it later," Harry commented.

"Hey," I spoke soft enough so that no one but him could hear me as I stepped closer, "about everything Tom Riddle said in there…about the fox-."

"It's okay. I know that you gave Hermione the fox hair on purpose, but I won't tell her. You're not evil, and I trust you. You're my friend."

I nodded, relieved.

"Alright," he announced to the rest of the group, "Let's get out of here."

Then we gripped each other's hands and Fawkes picked up Harry by his robes. With a few mighty beats of the Phoenix's wings, we began ascending, out of the Chamber of Secrets.


	16. Chapter 16

**IMPORTANT: This chapter is the final one for this fanfiction. The next story of the series (Ravenfire Ashe: Third Year) will be published within the next week. For those of you following the series, make sure to either keep your eye out or follow my profile for email updates on when I post. I hope you've all enjoyed this fanfiction very much and choose to stick around for the next one!**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

When we first entered McGonagall's office, there was much excitement and tears over the return of both Ginny and Willow. The Weasleys had come by floo powder as soon as they'd gotten word that their daughter had been taken. And Willow's parents – who immediately showed that they loved Willow very much, despite her magical abilities – had been brought as well. I assumed that Dumbledore had retrieved them all the way from Texas because I was just as shocked to see him standing next to Mrs. Cavanaugh.

Harry and Ron were showered with hugs and kisses of gratitude, as was I. Both the Weasleys and the Cavanaughs tearfully explained how thankful they were that we'd saved their daughters from such a dark and powerful force. Mrs. Cavanaugh, a darker-skinned lady with deep, warm eyes, hugged me for a long time and also thanked me for being one of Willow's only friends. Apparently, she'd heard a lot about me in the letters that Willow sent home.

"She definitely cares a lot about Willow. She jumped between her and the Basilisk. Raven could have died trying to save her. That sort of friendship is pretty rare," Harry explained, exchanging smiles with Ron and Ginny.

The story only made Mrs. Cavanaugh hug me tighter.

Then, Harry went on to explain how everything else had happened, directing his attention to Dumbledore, who awarded each of us two hundred House Points.

"I cannot express how both proud and troubled I am at the events of this evening," Dumbledore grumbled, "I think I must first send Ginny and Willow to the hospital wing, with their families of course."

Dumbledore waited until everyone had left before turning to Harry and I.

"I must tell you both how…in awe I am of your bravery. Not many people would risk their lives for their friends. Raven, I understand that you were taken into the Chamber by the same means that Ginny and Willow were."

"I was unconscious, so I had no choice in the matter, but I would have followed regardless."

"Well," Dumbledore began, moving around his desk to take a seat in his large, leather chair. However, before he could continue, the doors to the office burst open and Lucius Malfoy strode inside, his walking stick clicking angrily against the stone floor. Dobby trotted along at his heels, looking around both curiously and fearfully.

I had no idea why Lucius was here, but there was no doubt that he knew that I had failed that the mission that the Death Eaters had given me.

Which meant that I was in trouble.

"So!" he fired at Dumbledore before he'd even reached his desk, "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts. So…have you stopped the attacks yet? Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," Dumbledore replied, his smile a perplexing mixture of triumph and humility.

"Well? Who is it?"

I twisted my fingers as I stood silently behind Mr. Malfoy. There was a small chance he hadn't noticed me yet. He could have been blinded by his own rage.

"Same person as last time, Lucius," Dumbledore explained, "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

Dumbledore held up the leather book with a gaping hole in the center. I watched Lucius' hand tighten around the head of his cane when his eyes landed on it.

"I believe it was Miss Ashe who so bravely erased the threat," Dumbledore said, his gaze flickering in my direction. He meant it as a compliment, but my stomach dropped as Lucius turned his cold stare onto me. My cheeks burned as I took a step away from him.

But when Lucius turned back to Dumbledore, something else caught my eye. Dobby was communicating with Harry through hand gestures and mouthed words. He was saying something silently, and pointing to the diary, then to Lucius. I glared at him, but he wasn't looking at me.

However, whatever message he was trying to get across was understood by Harry.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got ahold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked, suddenly stepping forward from the shadows.

"How should I know how the stupid little girl got ahold of it?" Lucius hissed angrily, hardly sparing Harry a glance.

"Because you gave it to her in Flourish and Blotts," he added. I bit my lip fearfully. I thought I had been the only one to notice Mr. Malfoy slip the book into Ginny's cauldron.

Lucius turned to face Harry, which gave me a clear few of his face. His eyes were filled with ire, and his mouth curved into a nasty sneer when he replied to Harry.

"Prove it."

I struggled to breathe as the tension in the room became almost tangible. I'd never seen Lucius so angry. Normally, it was my father who flew off the handle, and Lucius was the one who would always be clear-headed. He would usually be able to talk my father down. But this was a new side of him. One that I didn't like.

Luckily, Dumbledore broke the silence.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that, not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I'm sure Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they're traced back to you. In addition, I am giving you permission to take Ravenfire to the Ministry at once to get her registered as an animagus. I'd hate to see one of the brightest, bravest Slytherins we have be sent to Azkaban."

Mr. Malfoy stared at Dumbledore out of the corners of his eyes, his entire face masked by rage. I was sure he was as puzzled as I was about how Dumbledore knew about my being an animagus, but neither of us said anything. Instead, he turned towards the door, glaring at me in the process.

"Come, Ravenfire," he ordered finally, before leaving the room.

Dobby trotted behind him again, and I shot a pleading look at Harry as I followed as well. But there was nothing that he nor Dumbledore could do. I had to leave with Lucius. When we made it out of the study, the door closing behind us seemed to sound more like the footfall of the grim reaper.

"Daddy," I began timidly as soon as we were alone in the corridors.

I knew I'd failed him, and I just wanted a chance to explain. To give him something that would make him understand why I did what I did. Surely he'd understand that I couldn't have let my friends die.

But before I could say another word, Lucius spun around and backhanded me, hard.

Falling back a few steps, I stared back at him through wide eyes. I was too shocked to cry or become angry, so all I could do was stare at him, dumbfounded as I held my throbbing cheek. He was the one who came to my rescue. The last thing I expected was for him to hit me.

"Stupid girl!" he snapped, "Clean yourself up and pack your things. I'm leaving the castle in twenty minutes with or without you."

I was worried that any hesitation would only make him angrier, so I immediately set off towards the dungeons. In my shocked daze, I barely noticed Harry walking past me with the journal and a sock in his hands. In fact, I barely remember walking through the halls at all, but before I knew it, I was standing in front of the mirror in my dorm.

I knew that I should be packing, but I doubted that Lucius would follow through on his threat to leave me behind. Regardless, I just couldn't bring myself to do anything apart from stare at my reflection in the mirror.

My face was covered in blood and dirt from the Chamber of Secrets. My hair was disheveled, and there was a thin layer of dried sweat covering my skin. My eyes were bloodshot from getting no sleep that night. I looked horrendous, but all I saw was the bruise already blossoming on my flushed cheek.

I didn't know how I felt. I didn't even know how I should have felt. A large part of me was angry and hurt. It felt a lot like betrayal. Daddy…hitting me? I never would have imagined it possible. But another part of me knew that I deserved the slap because I had not only failed him and the Dark Lord, but I had been the one that defeated the Dark Lord.

But regardless of all of that, I knew Lucius would never be my sanctuary again.


End file.
